To Find a Rider
by Future Aviator
Summary: After the fall of Galbatorix, Shruikan was alone. However, when Eragon and Saphira reveal that his rider is alive and living in a country to the north, he will stop at nothing to find her. But after facing snow storms, mysterious dragons, and a growing new threat, will she even remember him after having a whole new life? Or is it much too late to reunite with his rider and friend?
1. Their Story

I am new to this but please send me some constructive criticism on this piece but no flames please. Reviews are not mandatory but greatly appreciated.

_Summary:_ Shruikan is beginning to miss his rider a lot, to chear him up, the two other dragons and their riders as well as Angela and Roran decide to help Shruikan find his rider, Akarli. To do so, they must fight the freezing cold weather of the northern lands and meat strange new friends and unknown creatures. They must also fight another threat in the north that is planning on taking over the land including Alagaesia, but before they do so, they must help Akarli with her condition.

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance trilogy under any circumstances, I only own this plot and some new characters that I have created and will appear later on._

* * *

Eragon had just placed Glaedr's heart-of-hearts back into the bag and slid it underneath his cot out of sight after conversing with him. He felt that his battle with Galbatorix to the death will be very soon and he wanted to ask some final questions before it begins. He tried to remember every single detail that he learned from Glaedr, the dragon of the deceased rider, Oromis.

_(Flashback)_

_Master, do you really believe that I am ready?_Eragon remembered asking. He had been lying down in his cot, the heart-of-hearts held in both his hands above him. He ignored the hustle and bustle of the Varden's soldiers outside of his tent and Saphira's snores as she laid lazily in the sun with the occasional flick of her tail.

_Of course, after the training that we put you and Saphira through, there is no doubt,_ Glaedr had answered. _Just remember everything that we taught you including Brom's teachings. After all, he wasn't just an old story teller; he was also a dragon rider._

_Aye, _Eragon sighed.

Glaedr heard this sigh, _Young one, the question is not whether I think you're ready, rather, it is whether you think you're ready,_ he stated. _Do you think you're ready, Eragon?_

Eragon had to contemplate this for a while.

_Well? Do you? _Glaedr asked again.

_Eh, yes, _Eragon answered unconvincingly. He began twirling the heart-of-hearts in his hands.

_Don't take me for an old fool, Eragon, I can tell that you are still not sure of how to take down Galbatorix. I am sure that you can find a way to bring him to his knees and kill him whether it is in the form of your sword or of your magic. I can tell that you are ready, you are strong, skilled in the art of magic, and you are almost as wise as Oromis, _Glaedr said to reassure Eragon.

_Almost as wise as Oromis?_ Eragon questioned. He then grinned as he continued twirling the golden stone in his hands as he sat up. _Why not as wise as you?_

_Don't be silly Eragon, I'm a dragon, my body may be gone but my mind sure isn't,_ Glaedr retaliated back.

_And? Humans can't be as smart as dragons?_ Eragon's grin spread wider.

_Of course not, we dragons are the very essence of knowledge, why, to be as smart as a dragon you must _be _a dragon or have a head as big as…_

…_A dragon's? _Eragon interrupted with an even wider grin.

_Precisely my point, _Glaedr stated.

Eragon laughed a hearty laugh, it was loud enough to wake Saphira from her deep slumber. She raised her majestic head and opened her massive jaws to let off a mighty yawn. She poked her head through the flap in Eragon's tent, _Little one, why are you laughing? Some of us are trying to sleep here,_ she interjected.

_Saphira, you're the only being that is still asleep in the afternoon, _Eragon stated when he stopped laughing; he still had a smile on his face.

_Hmph, and I deserve it too after yesterday's busy day._

_What busy day? You were sleeping yesterday as well, what could you have possible been doing to qualify as being 'busy'? _Eragon asked.

_I am a bigger being, Eragon, the bigger you are the more sleep you need,_ Saphira answered wittingly. _Plus, I must store energy for the fight with Galbatorix and Shruikan._

_Of course, _Eragon said with sarcasm.

_Well, laugh if you must, but please do so quietly._Saphira snaked her head back out of the tent and plopped her big bulk back on the ground with her wings folded against her sides and fell fast asleep again.

Eragon chuckled at the sight.

_You're laughing, that is good, _Glaedr noted.

_Why is it good, master? _Eragon questioned.

_When you laugh, you are relieving stress; you are throwing all of those worries that were in your head out and bringing in refreshing thoughts. Believe it or not, Eragon, but as you laugh, you are preparing for your battle by relinquishing any rational thoughts, _Glaedr answered.

_That makes perfect sense, _Eragon said. He stared intently at the golden crystal in his hands and began to think. A wind came in gently lifting the flap of the tent bringing in some sunlight. Eragon enjoyed this brief warmth. Another grin was forming on his lips as he stared back at the heart-of-hearts. _So you don't think humans are as smart as dragons, eh? _Eragon asked as he continued to twirl Glaedr's golden stone in his hands as he sat back down in his bed.

_Of course not, oh, and Eragon?_ Glaedr called.

_Yes, what is it master?_

_Please stop twirling me in your hands, I am getting a little sick._

_Yes master, sorry master. _Eragon smirked as he put him away.

(End Flashback)

Eragon looked out at his sleeping dragon as the wind slightly opened the tent's flaps revealing the large blue scaled body of Saphira. _She has the right idea, _Eragon thought. He stood back up and sat down on the cot once again remembering every single detail and information he learned of Galbatorix's and Shruikan's past. _Who would have thought that they were such different people back then?_

He laid down back in his bed and took a small nap, wondering of the yet-to-come battle.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Eragon was enjoying the cool wind on his face and the warmth of the sun on his back as he and Saphira flew high up over the Varden's camp in Surda. He was reminiscing of the moment when he, Saphira, and Roran flew to Helgrind to save Katrina from the clutches of the ra'zak. He chuckled when he remembered Katrina's first reaction to Saphira. He looked down as Saphira lazily glided through a thermal. He saw all of the Varden's tents throughout the large encampment. There were people busy carrying out their jobs whether it be sharpening swords, cooking food, or tending to others. They were all preparing for the confrontation with Galbatorix for they have received word that Galbatorix is on his way.

_I can't believe that it is finally happening, _Eragon said. _Galbatorix is finally coming to fight me._

_Yes, but it shall turn out to be a grave mistake for he and his men for they will all be shredded to pieces when I am through with them. It will all be a great blue blur to them, _Saphira stated.

_More than a blue bur, it will be a blue wind, _Eragon added. _That is if we win of course._

_If we win? Of course we are going to win, we are rider and dragon, a team, nothing in the world is going to break us apart, not even the gods, _Saphira assured. _You do not sound sure of our abilities, why?_

_Because we are fighting the most powerful man and dragon in all of Alagaesia. How can a mere seventeen year old boy and his two year old dragon fight someone with probably as much magic as a god?_

_We can fight them because we are a team, must I repeat this again and again, it is getting quite tiresome really, _Saphira added.

_I believe you, I know that we are practically inseparable, but, so are they._

_No they are not, remember, Shruikan is not Galbatorix's real dragon, he is a mere puppet controlled by a greedy being. I feel bad for him and his rider, his _real_ rider._

_What if he does the same to us? _Eragon asks, a bit apprehensive of the situation now.

Saphira became speechless as they flew through a lone cloud as white as snow. When they flew out of this cloud there were small water droplets all over Eragon and Saphira bringing out the true beauty of her scales by magnifying their brilliance many times.

_Are we truly inseparable, Saphira? _Eragon asked.

Suddenly, horns cried in the distance. Eragon looked north of the Varden encampment and saw a small mass of soldiers, probably one to two-hundred; this would have been no problem for the Varden. As Eragon looked over the mass of soldiers he noticed two flying creatures. One was a fiery red while the other, which was twice maybe even three times the size of the red one, was as black as night. They were dragons.

_Let's find out, shall we? _Saphira asked as she curled her wings inward to race towards the dragons like a bullet. _Are we truly together, Eragon?_

Eragon stared out at the soldiers and noticed the Varden soldiers quickly forming a circle around the encampment and began rushing towards the Empire's soldiers. He saw women in the encampment cradling crying children and ushering toddlers inside the inner-most tents of the camp. He also saw older boys that were still younger than Eragon running out as soldiers of the Varden protecting their loved ones and their freedom.

_Well, are we, Eragon? _Saphira asked again. She was gaining speed now hurtling towards the ground, the wind whipping and lashing at them.

_We are, now and forevermore, _Eragon said as he pulled out his sword and pointing it towards the heavens. _Brisingr!_

-X-X-X-X-X-

The two dragons landed on a plateau outside of the Varden camp, the same plateau where Eragon and Murtagh first fought and where Eragon first found out that Murtagh had become a Dragon Rider.

"Stay out of my fight," Galbatorix ordered Murtagh and Thorn as he noticed Eragon and Saphira soming in for a landing.

"Then what do you wish for me to do my lord?" Murtagh asked.

"Right now, I want you and your sad excuse for a dragon to stay out of my fight, you two will just stand there and watch," Galbatorix demanded. Eragon and Saphira were now getting closer to the ground.

"Then why did you bring us?"

"You two will serve as my protection, should I seem to be losing energy during the fight, you two will pour your energy into me," he stated.

Murtagh scowled at Galbatorix when he turned his back to look at the descending dragoness. He noticed how the sun seemed to make Saphira's scales look alive as the reflected light danced all around her.

_Just like Alarila, _Galbatorix thought. He then quickly shook his head and took out his deadly sword. The deadly weapon was so dark that the sun would not reflect its warm light upon it, it seemed as it would not even touch the blade.

Saphira descended lower and lower over the plateau. She then flared her wings to slow herself down ten feet above the ground. Before she even landed, Eragon jumped down from her back with his brilliant blue sword already unleashed. He quickly assessed his surroundings while Saphira set her heavy bulk behind him lightly shaking the ground from the massive weight. He noted how Murtagh and Thorn were on the edge of the plateau behind Galbatorix. Galbatorix stepped forward in front of Eragon with his sword un-sheaved. Saphira stood proudly behind Eragon and growled when she looked at Shruikan who was giving Saphira a deadly look. _If looks could kill…, _Saphira thought.

"Well, if it isn't the wannabe rider and his dragon," Galbatorix smirked. His voice seemed so cold that if there was water, he could have turned it into ice instantly with just one word.

Eragon frowned at the comment. "Well if it isn't the wannabe king and his giant puppet," Eragon retorted. Shruikan hissed at the comment, smoke began billowing out of his flaring nostrils.

"You will eat those words by the end of this battle." Galbatorix scowled as he walked around the young rider, then, he began walking around Saphira taking in every detail.

"Is your dragon always so…tense when she knows that you both are going to either die or serve me and the Empire?" Galbatorix asked as he saw Saphira's tail twitch and her claws clench, gouging out a small trench in the earth.

Saphira growled at Galbatorix and lowered her head to his eyelevel. _Only when I am impatient to feel your blood on my claws and your head crushed between my jaws to taste the blood of a fallen tyrant,_ she hissed in his mind.

Galbatorix smirked when he heard her, "My, what an image your words paint in my head." He looked deep into her saphire eyes and then whispered "But that is all they will be, images."

Saphira roared and stood on her hind legs to appear taller and look threatening in front of Galbatorix, but he wasn't nervous, in fact, he seemed quite the opposite. He began laughing. "Ah, Saphira," he began, "You still have much to learn, but I can teach you and your rider the proper way, not like those old fools who just taught you how to be truthful and pointless little magic tricks."

"Those _fools _are many times wiser then you will ever be!" Eragon yelled as he stepped forward, his sword still out.

A drop of water fell on Eragon's head, he looked up and noticed the skies begin to get darker as clouds were rolling in above the plateau and above the battle field. Then another, and another. Soon, the clouds were dumping all the water they held onto the thirsty ground below.

Eragon looked at Galbatorix who seemed to enjoy the storm. A clap of thunder erupted across the heavens above and a flash of lightning struck nearby, setting a tree on fire.

"Enough of this banter," Galbatorix said, "Let's fight and determine who will be the victor once and for all."

"I was just about to say the same thing," Eragon agreed as he took a step forward with his sword at the ready. He and Galbatorix circled around each other, waiting for the other to strike first as Saphira and Shruikan took off for the rain-pounding skies above to battle each other.

Suddenly, Galbatorix attacked first swinging out his sword to Eragon's left knee to knock him off balance and fall but Eragon parried it and sent an attack of his own aiming at Galbatorix's chest but he blocked it off as well. Blow after blow passed but neither would give up for they are not just battling for the land, they are also battling for their lives. Eragon is also battling for the lives of his friends and family and for revenge for those who have fallen.

Eragon looked passed Galbatorix at Murtagh and Thorn who were watching intently at the battle. For whom they wanted to win he did not know. Eragon struck again at Galbatorix at his hip but he stepped in a puddle and slipped a bit giving Galbatorix an open area to strike.

_Eragon! _Saphira yelled. _Are you all right?_

_I am, it is just a scratch, just concentrate on your fight with Shruikan and don't worry, I'll be fine,_ Eragon assured.

_Fine but if I later find out that the 'scratch' is longer that four finger-widths then I will personally destroy Galbatorix and strap you on my back for all eternity,_ Saphira argued.

Eragon chuckled lightly as he parried another blow by Galbatorix and looked at his scratch. As he fought with one hand he used the fingers of his other hand to measure the scratch on his left shoulder, first with four fingers and then with five. _Definitely longer than four finger-widths, maybe even longer than six._

_What was that, Eragon? _Saphira asked as she took another bite at Shruikan.

_Nothing, Saphira, nothing, _Eragon said but deep down he knew he was in trouble with Saphira later after the fight. He knew that she heard.

_I know what you said, Eragon, and I will remember this after the fight, _Saphira announced after dodging an attack by Shruikan._ I meant what I said._

Eragon tried his best to ignore this and fight Galbatorix. He was watching for any weak spots but couldn't find any. His vital organs were well protected under the suit of armor he was wearing and by the quick parries and blows delivered by Galbatorix. _There has to be a weak spot, everybody has a weak spot, but where? _Eragon thought.

_Eragon! _Someone called in Eragon's mind.

_Arya? _Eragon asked. _Is that you? I don't mean to sound rude but I am rather occupied at the moment, can this wait?_

_No, it can't, _Arya answered. _Besides, I am rather occupied as well, I am fighting three people at the moment, the Varden is not faring so well, we may be in some trouble. But I digress, Eragon, it is about your cousin._

_Roran? What happened? _Eragon asked as he parried yet another blow by Galbatorix and delivered an attack to Galbatorix's shin knocking him down. He was about to deliver the killing blow but Galbatorix jumped up and gave out another blow which Eragon blocked once again. _Is he hurt?_

_He will be, Eragon, Roran left, he found out that you and Galbatorix are fighting on the plateau, that is where he is going, he wants revenge for what Galbatorix did to his Katrina, he left about ten minutes ago, sorry I could not tell you sooner but I was busy trying to defeat these soldiers._

_What? _Eragon shouted. _Galbatorix is going to murder him!_

_I know, good luck Eragon. _Arya left Eragon's mind and let him focus more on the battle at hand once again.

_I need to kill Galbatorix once and for all really soon, _Eragon thought as he parried yet another blow. Eragon was using a lot of his energy and the energy stored in the pommel in his sword, he feared that he is going to run out soon and he would not dare draw out energy out of Saphira. Galbatorix, however, had practically an unlimited source of energy stored in his sword, Shruikan, Murtagh _and _Thorn. He looked to Murtagh and Thorn once again. He could tell that they were running out of energy as they were sitting on the ground and began to look sick. Murtagh lifted his head up to look at Eragon, his eyes were pleading for Eragon to finish this battle once and for all or else he _will_ die.

The clouds continued letting out water in buckets. Lightning flashed everywhere and the thunder refused to stop as well as the rain. Eragon knew he was in trouble. He looked at Murtagh and Thorn once again and noticed a third person that was sneaking up behind Galbatorix.

_Roran! _Eragon shouted into his mind but Roran ignored him as he took out his hammer and prepared to strike Galbatorix. He seemed fearce and determined to kill the man who harmed his wife. He raised up his hammer, Murtagh and Thorn were about to stop him but couldn't because of the spell that Galbatorix put on them.

That is when Eragon was able to knock Galbatorix to the ground and knock his sword out of his hands. He was badly bruised and seemed to be weakened. Galbatorix saw that he was about to die from Eragon's sword and called Shruikan back to the ground to help him. He quickly began thinking of another way to defeat Eragon, he looked truly desperate and he even showed a hint of fear in his eyes. But that quickly went away when he saw Roran behind him, he produced a ball of energy in one hand and grabbed Roran and brought him down with him and held the ball of energy in front of his face.

"One more movement towards me will force me to kill him, Eragon, don't test me because I will do it," Galbatorix ordered. His eyes went blank for a moment, then he grinned. "So, this young man here is your cousin, is he? That makes things even more interesting."

There was a huge tremor on the ground as Shruikan landed behind Eragon. Eragon quickly looked behind him at Shruikan and instantly became nervous for underneath Shruikan, pinned to the ground was a sapphire blue dragon. _Saphira!_

_Don't worry about me Eragon, I'm okay, just…a bit… tired…is all, _Saphira said as she closed her eyes.

_No, Saphira!_ He looked at her body; there were bruises and bite marks everywhere. _Please, don't die._

She didn't respond.

"Foolish boy, did you really think that you would win," Galbatorix smirked as he brought the orb of energy closer to Roran's body. "I have your cousin and your dragon and can kill both of them easily."

Eragon did not like the situation now. What was once a sword fight has turned into a double hostage situation. "And, as if I don't know, what do I have to do to ensure their safety?" Eragon asked, trying to buy more time to think of a new strategy.

"You will join me and your brother, Murtagh and announce your loyalty to the Empire."

Eragon continued thinking, he cannot let them die at the hands of his worst enemy and he absolutely refuses to join him and the Empire. _What do I do? _Then that is when he finally figured it out. He may not be able to stab Galbatorix, but he can still attack his heart without the use of a sword or magic, in fact he would not even have to move.

"No, I refuse to join you," Eragon announced.

Galbatorix seemed surprised, as if he was not expecting this at all. "You do realize that I have the lives of your cousin _and_ your dragon practically in my fingertips, do you not?"

Eragon nodded.

"Fine, but if I may ask, why?" Galbatorix asked.

Eragon looked straight into Galbatorix's eyes and ignored the falling rain, the thunder, and the lightning as well as his cousin. He had a new strategy.

"Because," Eragon began, "I know everything about you."

Galbatoric furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, then he snarled, "You know nothing about me."

"Ah, but I do," Eragon began. "You loved her very much, didn't you?"

"Love, hah!" Galbatorix laughed, "I never loved anyone." He spat at the ground in front of Eragon.

"But you did, and still do too, that is why you have killed hundreds, perhaps even thousands of people. It is your deceased dragoness I am talking about, Alarila."

Eragon stared at Galbatorix for any signs of recollection. At first, there was none, but then Eragon stared him in the eye and saw a whole different world, one filled with sadness. He stared back at Murtagh and Thorn, they were looking at Eragon, eyes full of interest, they have never heard of Galbatorix's past.

"Yes, she was a beautiful dragoness, so caring and wise, like the mother you never had," Eragon noted. "Her scales reflected that of the sun at sunrise, daytime, and sunset. It is as if she was the sun. You told her everything for you trusted her very much with your secrets and everything else. Like me and Saphira."

Galbatorix said nothing.

"You two also flew everywhere, practically the whole world. You two were inseparable, as if you were one. But then came that dark night, she became ill, could not fly anymore or walk for a long period of time, soon she couldn't even move. You stayed by her side day and night, snow and rain, no matter how hot or cold it was, you didn't care. You just wanted to make sure she was alright and will be well soon. But she never became better for it was not a normal sickness, was it?"

"No, it wasn't," Galbatorix said. He looked down to avoid Eragon's intense gaze.

_I'm actually doing it, _Eragon thought, amazed at himself, _I'm hurting the king from the inside. _Eragon heard a noise to his side; he turned his head and noticed that it was Arya and Nasuada. He held up his hand to stop them from coming further and ruining his strategy.

Eragon continued, "So what did kill Alarila?"

Galbatorix did not answer and kept staring on the ground, the ball of energy becoming smaller, Roran began to relax.

"I'm sure you remember, it was poison, someone intentionally poisoned your dragon, making her death a long and painful one. Yes, long indeed, it took three weeks were her to finally die with a final message: "Make me proud, I am always watching." When she died, the man who killed her took away your friend, your companion, your sanity!"

"Shut up," Galbatorix demanded.

"You were so upset that Alarila died, you blamed it on the whole world. To attempt to seal up that broken hole in your heart, you asked the elders for another dragon, but they refused and blamed you for her death. To retaliate, you killed every damn rider in existence!"

"I said stop!" Galbatorix once again demanded. He looked up and stared up at Eragon, the ball of energy getting bigger.

"When killing all the riders in existence wasn't good enough, you decided to put yourself in the throne of Alagaesia and started a whole war!"

"Stop talking!"

"And what did all of that accomplish? Thousands of people dead and families torn apart, ripped to shreds!" Eragon yelled. "But you didn't care, all you wanted was to somehow get Alarila back, that's why you went to the vault of souls, but it did not work. That further fueled your anger. Then, when you heard of another rider in existence, you wanted him gone, you wanted _me_ gone! You felt that if you cannot get a dragon, then no one can! You don't care; all you care about is yourself!"

"Shruikan stop him!" Galbatorix ordered as he covered his ears with one hand, still holding Roran who started to sweat again.

Eragon whipped around and pointed his sword at Shruikan. "And you!" he began, "Yes, that's right, I know your story too!"

_How can you, an insignificant little brat, know _my_ story? _Shruikan asked as he made himself look taller by standing on his hind legs and placing a massive foot on Saphira to appear dominant and spreading out his wings.

"I know that you were very close to your rider as well, but again, there was an accident," Eragon began, "Her name was Akarli, it was another great day and you two decided to go out for a flight. There was an unexpected storm and she fell from your back into the ocean below. You flew after her but you were not fast enough, she slammed into the water and began sinking. You dove into the water after her and grabbed her and flew back out."

_Damn you, stop talking! _Shruikan roared placing more weight on Saphira about to crush her, there was a flash of thunder behind him making him seem more intimidating as the rain refused to stop.

"You brought her to the nearest beach to help her but she would not wake, you thought she was dead because it seemed she wasn't breathing, you were still alive so you figured that she broke the connection before she died because she hated that you let her fall!"

_It was my fault that I let her go._

"Exactly my point, you kept blaming yourself and eventually you met Mr. Genius here," Eragon pointed to Galbatorix who was sulking, "He convinced you that it was not your fault, that you should blame the world, so you agreed to join him and left your rider to die."

_She was dead anyway, it was my fault that she died, _Shruikan argued. _And now I shall kill your dragon! _He began putting his full weight on Saphira.

"But that's the thing, she did not break your connection to her, so how are you still alive?" Eragon asked, "You're alive because she's alive!"

Shruikan froze as did everyone else, there was another clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning.

_Wha…what did you say?_

"I said that your rider is still alive, she is living elsewhere wondering where her dragon is, why has he left," Eragon answered.

Shruikan removed his foot from Saphira and got on all fours again. He walked in front of Eragon and lowered his head. _Where is she? _He asked slowly, his voice softening up.

"She lives north of Alagaesia," Eragon answered, "We can help you look for her, really, we can. Saphira and I will forgive you, we know that you did not kill anyone and we are willing to look past our differences. I promise"

Arya and Nasuada stepped forward; they heard everything that Eragon had said. "We forgive you also," Arya said, placing her hand on Shruikan's muzzle.

"I will allow you to look for your rider," Nasuada said, "As long as you promise to join the Varden with your rider, we will give you the freedom that you deserve."

Shruikan nodded his large head. The rain seemed to be getting lighter and there was no more thunder or lightning. The ground was drenched and the battle between the soldiers was over.

"Thorn, do you feel that?"

Eragon turned around and saw that it was Murtagh who had said that.

_Indeed, I do, young one,_ Thorn answered.

"What do you feel?" Eragon asked as he walked towards Murtagh and Thorn.

"Our hold by Galbatorix, it's lifting," Murtagh answered.

Eragon turned around to face Galbatorix again, he was mumbling to himself, he let go of Roran who ran towards Eragon. Galbatorix did not stop him, he looked at the ball of energy that was still suspended in his hand.

"Alarila," Galbatorix whispered.

_Era…Eragon? Where are you? _A weak voice asked. It was Saphira.

_Saphira, I am right here,_Eragon answered, he was by Saphira's side in an instant, he noticed a life threatening gash in her side and he attempted to heal it. "Weise Heil," Eragon commanded, he felt energy leave his body, he knew that he did not enough. Then, suddenly he felt a large pool of energy jumping into him and into his spell until the large gash was completely healed. He ended the spell and turned around to find Shruikan behind him.

_I just wanted to fix my mistakes, _Shruikan answered.

"Thank you."

Eragon noticed that Arya and Nasuada were talking with Murtagh and Thorn as was Roran. Eragon smiled, it seemed that everything was going to be the way it should. He felt something nudge his back, it was Saphira.

_Thank you, Eragon, _she said, her voice seemed like the normal sweet, motherly voice that Eragon loved. _You did a great job, I heard everything you said._ She continued nuzzling him and hummed in contempt.

"Alarila!"

Everyone turned around, it was Galbatorix. He thrusted the orb of energy into his chest, killing him instantly.

"No!" Eragon shouted, but it was too late, Galbatorix is dead.

_Little one, it's okay, he is now, once again, with his dragon. You did a kind thing by reminding him of her and bringing him back to his senses, _Saphira said, soothing him. _He's in a better place now, with Alarila._

The rain had finally stopped, all was quiet and calm. The Varden had won the war.

-X-X-X-X-X-

The Varden began packing all the tents up to move back home. Eragon was in a hurry, heading to Murtagh's tent.

_Need a lift? _Saphira asked as she swooped down from the snow-white clouds of a new day. She picked up Eragon in her talons and flew him to the tent. She set him on the ground and landed in front of Thorn who was lying down in the sunlight.

"Hey, brother, what are you doing here?" Murtagh asked as he stepped out of the tent.

"I came here to tell you something important"

"Don't bother, I already know, Brom was your father, Saphira already told me," Murtagh stated. "But we're still brothers, right?"

"Of course," Eragon said.

The ground shook hard suddenly as Shruikan landed.

_Blasted tiny things,_ he said.

"What happened to you?" Murtagh asked with a smirk.

_So far, I have stepped on three food carts and blew aside four tents all in one day,_ he argued, _and the children, they will not stop climbing to the top of my head and sliding down my back to my tail, one little girl even plucked a scale off of my finger_. _But that's not why I am here._

"What do you want?" Eragon asked.

_It is about the promise you made, I want to find Akarli._

Saphira nudged Eragon, _Did you ever tell him about Akarli yet? _She asked privately.

_No, I never got a chance yet; I think he should find out for himself. _He then talked to Shruikan, _Of course I'll help you._

_As will I and Murtagh,_ Thorn said as he walked beside his rider.

_And I, _Arya agreed as she walked over to the group.

_Great, another sleepless adventure, _Saphira complained. She then perked up and laid a paw on Eragon, pushing him to the ground. _Oh Eragon,_ she called,_ I seem to remember a certain incident involving a certain scratch longer than four finger-widths._ She smirked as she picked him up and placed him in the saddle. _Strap yourself in, you're gonna be there for a long time. _She then took off towards the sky, flying passed the sun and doing loops and twirls while Eragon screamed the whole time._ Oh little one, you have much to learn._

_

* * *

_

I was thinking of continuing this story, the rest would be about the group finding Shruikan's rider, let me know what you think but the next chapter may not be up until February, January is a really busy month for school.

Sincerely,

_The Aviator_


	2. The Departure

Well, here is the second chapter. I only had one problem with this chapter, I did not know how Angela's character is like so she may seem a bit out of character. Again, reviews are not mandatory but greatly appreciated.

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance trilogy under any circumstances, I only own this plot and some new characters that I have created and will appear later on._

* * *

The great sun has shown itself above the clouds, casting its brilliant rays down upon the cold ground after an unforgiving night. It was a week after the big battle and the death of Galbatorix, the Varden is almost done in packing up all the tents and moving back to the mountains. Shruikan was sleeping in the sun outside of the encampment since there was no room for him what with all the tents that were still up. He was awoken by approaching wing beats. He lifted his great head and looked up to the cloudless sky and noticed Thorn land in front of him. Shruikan repositioned himself so that he was lying down on his stomach to talk with the red dragon.

_Fine day, isn't it master?_ Thorn asked when he walked in front of the great dark-scaled dragon in front of him.

Shruikan let a plume of smoke escape from his nostrils as he sighed. _I told you, I am not your master anymore. Whenever you call me that it reminds me of all the wrongs I have done._ Shruikan let his head plop back down on his paws.

Thorn looked on in concern at Shruikan. _You did nothing wrong, you never killed anyone. In fact, you should be happy that Galbatorix is dead and that your rider is still alive,_ Thorn said.

_Just the thought that she is still alive is not good enough; I want to be with her in person,_ the mighty dragon answered._ I want to protect her, shield her under my wings when we sleep, feel her resting on my body as I keep her warm during the brutal nights._ He shifted so that he was on his side.

_But you are going to see her; we'll be leaving today to help you in your search for her, you, me, our riders, and Arya._

_Then we'd better find her fast, or I feel that I may go mad._ Shruikan stood on his feet and prepared to take off to the skies to go hunting. _Care to join me in a hunt?_

Thorn smirked as he, too, rose to his feet._ Only if you remember how to hunt, you've been cooped up in that castle for years,_ he chastised.

_Please, Thorn. I am a dragon and dragons never forget how to hunt, it's a gut instinct._ He unfolded his massive wings; his wingspan must have been three times the width as Thorn was long from the tip of his snout to the end of his tail. He took off towards the skies and Thorn followed.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Eragon was still in his tent that was yet to be put away, he was still sound asleep after being up for practically the whole night preparing for the trip. His dragoness, Saphira, was outside of his tent sleeping as well, her wings spread out on either side of her massive bulk, absorbing the sun's rays.

As Eragon slept, he suddenly felt another presence in his tent which woke him up. He opened his eyes and quickly shut them to get use to the light. Once his eyes no longer hurt from the light, Eragon sat up in his cot and immediately wished he hadn't for there, standing right in front of him and staring him down was Angela.

"Thank goodness you're up, do you realize how long I've been waiting here?" Angela asked as she began pacing around the room with a flask in her hand that had smoke billowing out from it. Eragon could tell that it was bubbling. "I was about to pour something on you to wake you up!"

Eragon gave her a startled look, "You weren't going to pour that concoction on me, were you?" Eragon asked.

Angela stared at the flask in her hand, "Oh you mean this, of course not, that would be a waste of an energy drink." She then chugged the contents of the flask down.

"Energy drink?" Eragon questioned.

"Yes, provides the perfect balance of vitamins and nutrition with a slight taste of gizzard of lizard." She answered. "Want me to make some for you too?"

Eragon became slightly sick of the thought, "gizzard of lizard?" He held up a hand to his mouth and tried to keep his stomach contents down.

"Yes, gizzard of lizard, only a wizard can use a gizzard of a lizard." Angela proudly stated.

"But you're a witch, and I thought only birds have gizzards." Eragon managed to keep his stomach contents down.

"That's just what they want you to think," Angela stated. She threw the flask behind her and grabbed a feather and a piece of parchment. "Now, I have produced a list of necessary necessities…"

"Necessary necessities?" Eragon interrupted, "aren't necessities already necessary?"

"Not in my book, now, do we have bows and arrows?"

"Check," Eragon answered.

"Water skins and condiments?"

"Check and check."

"Saddles, clothing, and brushes?"

"Check, check, and check."

"Good, it seems we're prepared."

"Yes, I know, I made sure of that last night. In fact, I hardly slept at all last night," Eragon stated, "And what do you mean by 'we'?"

"Well I am going with you of course," Angela stated. "You can't expect to survive on your own. Which reminds me, Roran is also coming."

"Roran? I thought he was busy tending to Garrow, his son," Eragon stated.

"I managed to convince Katrina that Roran has some business to tend to in other cities," Angela answered. "Get ready, we will be leaving in an hour." Angela then left the tent. "Good day, Saphira," she greeted the recently awoken dragon. Saphira nodded her head in reply and then stuck her head into the tent when Angela finally left.

_What were you two talking about,_ she asked as Eragon got out of his bed.

Eragon looked up and stared at Saphira with a quizzical expression. _I don't really know, but I think I was a victim to one of Angela's wake-up call, a really long wake-up call._

_Hmm,_ Saphira thought, _I think I am going to go hunting now, see you in an hour._ She then took off to the skies after stretching her massive body and headed towards the sun.

Eragon then realized something as he began stretching as well, "Where the devil is my shirt!"

-X-X-X-X-X-

In Roran and Katrina's tent, Roran is still sleeping in his cot after helping his cousin the previous night in preparing his friends for their trip. In truth, he really did want to join them in finding the old dragon's rider; in fact, he has grown rather fond of Shruikan. However, he also wanted to be together with his newborn son and watch him grow, he does not want to miss a moment of it.

Katrina then came to Roran's side with Garrow in her arms, she sat the child by his father's head. She then proceeded to gently shake him awake. "Honey, Roran, it is getting late now."

Roran began to stir slightly but then fell back asleep. Katrina raised an eyebrow at his incompetence in waking up. She then rubbed him harder to the point when she began lightly pushing him but still she was met with the same result. Finally, Garrow noticed his father lying in the bed behind him. He turned around and began tugging at his father's dark hair, this finally woke him up which caused the baby to giggle at his father's funny face and hair. Roran laughed.

"So you want me awake, eh?" Roran asked. He then began to tickle Garrow all over his belly causing the child to giggle. "Well I'm up."

Katrina smiled at the sight. "I bet you're going to miss him a lot," she stated.

Roran frowned, "What do you mean?" he asked as he sat up and placed his child over his shoulders.

Katrina sat on the bed and stroked her son's few dark hairs. "It seems that you have been called to visit some cities, though I'm not sure why."

Roran got up from his bed and began getting dressed when he put his child back down on the bed. "Who told you this?"

"Angela, the witch," Katrina answered.

"Angela?" Roran asked, "How would she know this, most importantly, why would she know this?" he questioned as he pulled on a pair of brown trousers that he picked up from the ground.

"I really don't know, perhaps Nasuada told her," she answered. "Either way, you must meet with Eragon soon."

As Roran put on a fresh, clean tunic he turned around and faced Katrina. "Why would I need to go see Eragon and Saphira?"

Katrina did not answer; she just shrugged her shoulders as she picked up her child and stood up. "I would go to him now if I were you, find out what is going on, but I think you should go, who knows, it may be another adventure for you to share with me when you get back, and a great story for you to tell Garrow in the future. Along with the story of how you saved me." Katrina hugged Roran and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"You do realize that Angela is probably lying just to get me to do something that I do not want to do, right?" Roran noted when he and Katrina broke the kiss.

"What I realize is that Angela may be telling half of the truth, you may be traveling to other cities, but it is not work related," Katrina answered. "Don't you want to help you cousins and the dragons?"

"Of course I do," he answered. "But I don't want to leave my own flesh and blood alone," he said as we lightly tickled his child under his chin. "I don't want to miss a second of my son growing up."

Katrina then place one hand on her hip. "The only thing that you are going to miss is little Garrow giving me the daily surprise," she answered smartly.

Roran chuckled, "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"Yes, I want you to leave and help that poor dragon find his rider since that is what I'm thinking that Angela wants you for," she stated, "And come back with some fascinating stories of your adventure."

Roran smirked, "Well that shouldn't be a problem," he stated, "Being with Eragon and Saphira, I am practically agreeing to join an adventure."

"As long as you come back in one piece without another woman, I don't mind," she kissed him again. "There will be more of that when you get back, much more." She then smiled.

"Then that means that I may have to force Saphira to fly as fast as she could, to the point when her wings act as those of a hummingbird's."

Katrina smiled, she then handed Roran a pack. "You will find two tunics and trousers in there as well as five loaves of bread and cheese." She then handed him another pack, "In here, there is more food for everybody else, this is just my thanks to Eragon and Arya for helping you save me from that hell hole."

"Thank you, see you…actually, I don't know when I'll see you," Roran thought, "Give me a month, and I'll be back, hopefully with a gift."

"Oh, Roran, the only gift I need is your body next to mine, I'll miss you." One last time, the two of them kissed, but this kiss was more passionate than the others. The only other time that rivaled this kiss was the one they shared at their wedding.

"I'll miss you too," he answered. "And you as well, Garrow," he kissed him lightly on his forehead. The small child fell asleep as Roran smiled at him._ This is one special child, something wondrous is going to happen to him,_ he thought as he left his tent, waved goodbye one last time at his wife and child and walked away, leaving them behind as he is on a journey with his friends and cousins. "Who knows what is going to happen this time," he said to himself as he walked onwards toward the northern area of the encampment, his two bags in tow.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Eragon was in a hurry as he was rushing around his tent trying to find clothing and other 'necessary necessities' he needed. "Where is my sword!" he shouted to himself.

_On your hip, where it has been since I left to go hunting,_ Saphira answered as she stuck her head into Eragon's tent once again while licking the blood off of her scaly lips._ What are you doing, you should be with the others by now, it's late._

"I know Saphira, I've been busy the whole time.

Saphira peered at him with a great saphira blue eye that bore a hole straight through Eragon's soul. _I don't think you have been busy the whole time, tell me what you were really doing._

Eragon tried to stare away from Saphira's penetrating eye, he stared at the tent's wall and scratched the back of his neck. "Um, I was…"

_Mmhm, go on._

"Uh, taking a…"

_Continue, you're making progress._

"A nap," Eragon sheepishly said.

Saphira blew a puff of smoke in his face. _Eragon, really, you should get more sleep, perhaps we would just postpone this trip until tomorrow morning so you can sleep for another full night, I wouldn't mind at all and I am sure that Shruikan would understand._

Eragon sighed as he continued stuffing things into his pack. "I don't think I should. I want to leave; I feel that it is my duty to unite Shruikan and his rider, I do not want to put this off for another day, I want to leave right now. The sooner they are united, the sooner I will be happy, this is very important for them." He still felt Saphira looking at him and turned around to face her.

_Have you told Shruikan yet about his rider, about her little condition, little one?_

"No, I haven't, I feel that Shruikan should find out for himself, maybe he can help her see things clearly."

_And how do you think he is going to feel when he confronts his rider only to have her turn around and scream as she runs away?_ Saphira asked.

Again, he sighed as he lugged his two packs outside of his tent. "He'll probably feel as if he lost his rider all over again, but I still think that he can save her," he stated.

_Perhaps, but do you want to take that chance, he may just give up and leave, seeing no solution to her problem, he may give up all hope and just live the rest of his life in loneliness,_ she answered.

"Well if you want to tell Shruikan, go ahead. If you want to break his heart and stop him from wanting to find his rider, then tell him, tell him that his rider has…"

"Eragon!" Roran called as he ran up to him. "What are you two still doing here, we should be leaving already."

_We were about to leave,_ Saphira answered in both of their minds. _And Eragon was about to get back on my back seeing as how I still do not trust him in staying away from trouble._

Eragon looked at her appalled, "Again, it's been a week and you still want me on your back every time I step outside of my tent?

Saphira nodded.

"Well I won't do it; I will not stand for this!"

As soon as he said this, Saphira smirked as she bit down on the collar of Eragon's tunic and lifted him onto her back._ Fine, then sit down, on my back! Roran, be a dear and put those bags on my back so we can finally leave._

Roran did as he was told and began laughing at how Eragon was being pushed around by his dragon. He stopped when Saphira turned around and looked him in the eye.

_Perhaps you need a lesson in humility as well,_ she said as she grabbed him by his collar as well and placed him on her back behind Eragon. She then picked up the remaining bags with her teeth and held them there as she took off into the sky towards where the others were meeting.

-X-X-X-X-X-

As Saphira and Eragon flew towards the others, Shruikan was once again alone in the clearing. Thorn had gone to wake Murtagh up and get him ready for the trip. The old dragon was supposed to go get Arya but he did not wish to enter the Varden camp again, he was afraid that the other people would still be mad at him for joining the now deceased king Galbatorix. He believed that some may even try to kill him.

_I don't blame them,_ Shruikan thought,_ I would kill myself if I heard of the dark deeds I had done. But I want to find my rider instead; perhaps she can see the good in me. Or perhaps she sees me as evil ever since I dropped her long ago into the ocean; maybe she will forgive me since I rescued her. Although she may still remember how I left her on that beach to die. Oh, what am I to do?_

"Well, for starters, my large and scaly friend, I would go find Arya." A voice answered.

Shruikan perked his ears at the unfamiliar voice; he looked up and noticed a woman in front of him with the strangest clothing. She was wearing a very old and tattered blue gown with an old pair of boots. Her hair was brown and curly. _Who are you?_ He asked.

The woman sighed, "I can see that Eragon has no manners and has not introduced me but what did I expect? The young lad once believed that toads existed but I proved him wrong! Anyway, my confused scaly creature, my name is Angela and I am a herbalist."

_A herbalist, and why are you here?_ Shruikan had asked, he really wanted to be alone and not talking to this odd person.

"I am here to check you out, check for any known or unknown diseases, make sure that you are at the top of your health," Angela said as she put her bag on the ground and began rummaging through it for some materials, she pulled out a small hammer. "Now, I need you to give me your paw."

_My paw, for what if I may ask?_ Shruikan questioned, unsure about how to react.

"To check for any cracks, nips, chips, or anything else that may suggest that you are getting sick, now, your paw please," Angla asked once again. She walked towards the magnificent beast.

The dragon sighed and stood up in front of the herbalist and placed his giant paw close to her. She began walking around it. She had a piece of parchment and a feather pen as well as the hammer with her.

"Hmm, yes very big, very big indeed," she noted. "Approximately seven point nine feet from claw tip to heel," she wrote this down on her paper. "And more than two feet high from ground to the top of the paw," she made note of this on her parchment as well. She then climbed to the top of his paw and took out a string and wrapped it around Shruikan's leg once. "A circumference of approximately ten point two feet around the base of the leg," she scribbled this down as well. She then hopped down and headed to the claws and took out her hammer and lightly tapped one of the ivory claws and listened at the sound. "Hmm, a pure sound, flat pitch at the base and sharp at the tip suggests more calcium is needed in your diet." She then went up to a random scale and pried it back.

Shruikan winced, _Is this really necessary, I feel fine, really. Besides, that really hurts._ He began biting on his tongue to ignore the pain caused by his scale being pulled back.

"Yes, it is necessary, all necessities are necessary," she answered back. "Hmm, no fungus underneath the scale however there are some specks of dirt which means you, Shruikan, need to bathe." She then produced another tool out of her pocket in her blouse to measure the thickness of the scale, "Average," she noted. She then placed the scale back in its proper position.

_More baths? Are you trying to say that I am dirty,_ Shruikan asked incredulously. He couldn't believe this woman. _Who are you to tell me that I am dirty?_

"I was actually a nurse for dragons back during their heyday. I nursed those that were sick back to health," she answered as she stood in front of Shruikan. "Now open your mouth."

_Why?_

"Just do it!"

Shruikan did as he was told and lowered his head and opened his mouth wide for Angela, he was surprised when she jumped on his tongue._ Are you sure that's safe?_

"Of course, I am a professional, I've done this many times," she said. She then used the hammer on the teeth and listened for the pitch.

Shruikan looked up and noticed that Saphira was coming in for a landing next to him. Once she landed, Roran and Eragon jumped down from her back, both glaring at the dragoness who simply ignored it. _Shruikan, what is Angela doing in your mouth?_ Saphira asked when she noticed his mouth was wide open.

_I am asking the same question to myself for this is very annoying._ Shruikan answered when Angela finally jumped out of his mouth with hardly any saliva on her body at all.

"Done, it seems that you are a very healthy dragon, if not just a bit big for your age," she noted. She then quickly threw two things into Shruikan's mouth before he closed his massive jaws.

_What was that?_ Shruikan asked when he finally closed his jaws.

"Something that I have invented, it is a vitamin for dragons, it gives them the perfect balance of nutrients that a dragon needs to be strong," she answered. "And the second thing was a mint leaf."

"What for," Roran asked, he was curious about all things dragon ever since he met Saphira. He really does not know why but the topic of dragons always interested him.

"Well, Shruikan here has a bit of a bad breath," Angela answered.

The others laughed while Shruikan glared down at Angela, _And you, Madame, taste like an old deer carcass._

Angela ignored the comment. "I wouldn't be laughing Saphira, you will need a check up as well," she said as she began to put the items back in her bag.

Saphira stopped her grumble-like laugh and stared down at Angela. _Then I am sure you will find things in excellent shape,_ she answered as she grabbed Eragon with her teeth and placed on her back once again.

"Or so you think," Eragon answered. He shrunk back in fear when the great dragoness fixated her eye upon him again and glared at him. Quick to change the subject, he asked "Where are Murtagh and Thorn?"

_They are coming in for a landing now,_ Shruikan answered, trying to forget everything that Angela had done.

True to his word, Thorn landed behind Saphira and Murtagh jumped down from his back.

_Good to see you two,_ Shruikan greeted.

_Nice to see you as well,_ Thorn called back,_ You seem to be in a better mood this afternoon._

_Ah yes, I just cannot wait to begin our little adventure to finally find my rider,_ he answered, eager to begin flying as he spread his wings out wide.

"Wait just a darn minute!" a voice called out behind Shruikan.

The black dragon turned around and instantly became nervous._ Arya,_ he stuttered, _I was just about to get you._

"No, you were just about to forget about me," the princess elf answered as she joined the group. She glared at the massive dragon in front of her. "I had to walk all the way over here, you are so lucky that I am an elf and can walk fast for long distances without tiring myself out."

_I apologize,_ the great dragon answered, _Please forgive me for forgetting you._ He bowed his head in shame.

Arya's facial expression softened, "It's okay Shruikan, just don't let it happen again." She jumped up onto Shruikan's saddle which was very easy for an elf to do but difficult for a normal human since the saddle may have been close to or even over a hundred feet in the air. "Is everybody ready?" she asked the others who were conversing with each other.

Eragon nodded and helped pull Roran up onto the saddle behind him. Murtagh also climbed up onto Thorn's saddle which only left Angela.

"Who in blazes invited you on this trip?" Murtagh asked Angela.

Eragom sighed, "She did, apparently we cannot do this trip by ourselves and we require her assistance."

"Hmph, you should be glad that I am going with you otherwise you may find yourselves in a situation that requires the services of a herbalist and I am not there to help you, besides, you won't even notice that I am here," Angela answered. She turned around and then assaulted Shruikan with her words, "And how do you expect me to climb up your mountain of scales, scalehead!"

Shruikan sighed and carefully picked her up with his clawed fingers and placed her on his back behind Arya. _This is going to be a long trip,_ he thought to himself.

The three dragon's then spread their wings out wide and jumped into the air, bringing their wings down with a _whoosh_ and took to the skies on a northerly route towards the cold land beyond Alagaesia.

_Hold on Akarli, I am coming to get you,_ Shruikan said as he followed Saphira's lead, _Don't worry, I'm coming…_

* * *

Sincerely,

_The Aviator_


	3. The Unfortunately Lost

Whew, finally. Sorry, but school and AP Euro & AP Chemistry are kicking me in the ass and I just did not have time but I know that's not an excuse. On the upside, expect a definate update on my birthday, 5-5-09 on Cinco de Mayo as my gift to you. YOUR WELCOME!

Also, I have recieved a review stating that this may be a Disney theme. To the reviewer and everybody else, there is no need to worry, there will definately be a bad guy that we will be meeting later on. This story seems to have several plots other than just finding Shruikan's rider, you'll see one in this chapter. I have been experimenting with a more descriptive writing style, please tell me what you guys think

I also have a question. This chapter has a character getting raped but it does **_not_** show the practice, should a raise the rating? Let me know what you think.

Once again, reviews are not mandatory but greatly appreciated and I thank my reviewers and readers for being very patient.

_Aviation quote: _"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return" ~_Leonardo da Vinci_

_Disclaimer:_ The _Inheritance Cycle _and its unique characters belongs to Christopher Paolini, not me. I only own Akarli, the brothers, and other future characters.

* * *

As the three mighty dragons flew on to the cold lands of the North, the riders were becoming tired. Murtagh eventually strapped himself into Thorn's saddle, lied down and attempted to fall asleep but he could not because of the warm air current from the south colliding with the cold, frigid air of the north which resulted in a bumpy flight pattern as Thorn was buffeted in the air by the fighting currents. Instead, Murtagh just closed his eyes. The dragons were also getting slightly tired but neither would complain, especially Shruikan.

Shruikan was driven by the sheer determination of finding his rider and reuniting with her. He would not let anything get in his way, but eventually he admitted to himself that perhaps it would be best if he rested and regain his energy to start flying once again to the lands of the North. The great dragon looked to the ground below at the evergreen trees as he flew high above them. He then looked behind him at the disappearing golden sands of the desert. Shruikan looked ahead and noticed a lake approaching, it was still two or three miles away but at the speed that the dragons are flying at, they should reach it in no time at all. As Shruikan looked beyond the lake, he noticed several storm clouds approaching the calm waters of the crystal clear lake. He could also sense the wind slightly changing bringing in a scent clarifying that a storm is, indeed approaching.

Saphira noticed the lake and the storm as well. _Perhaps we should camp out by the lake,_ she said in everybody's minds. The truth was: she was also getting tired. She felt as if her blue hued, translucent wings would fall off very soon if she did not rest. _I doubt that there would be a better place than here. We have a fresh water supply and we can eat all the fish we want._

_Providing that you can catch them,_ Eragon answered as he stretched after the long flight. They have been flying for a week now and they have already rested many times in the middle of the desert.

The dragons could not eat much at all. Their last meal was three days ago when Shruikan spotted a large boulder. He flipped it over very easily due to his large size and strength and discovered exactly what he was hoping to find, a snake pit. To dragons, desert snakes were a rare delicacy. Snakes cannot bite dragons because of their armored scales and should they be venomous, the stomach of the dragons could easily digest them. Each dragon ate enough snakes to fill them up including Shruikan.

Murtagh sat up again on Thorn's back. _Are we really going to finally stop?_ he asked in Eragon's mind since he knew that he would not be heard over the roaring sound of the wind as the dragons flew faster to arrive at the lake quicker.

_Yes, we are,_ Eragon answered, _I feel that the dragons need the rest, they have been flying nonstop ever since late last night._ It was true, after everybody settled in that night, Shruikan awoke when he heard a sound coming from the trees and the bushes. He could hear the leaves rustling against each other but he knew that there was no wind to cause such a sound. There was something approaching the clearing that he and his friends were staying in and by the smell, he could tell that the sound was caused by bears in the area, several bears. Personally, he could handle a bear, perhaps even two, but by the scent given off by these bears, he could tell that there were at least six which was very odd for bears. He woke up everybody in the campsite including an unresponsive Angela who awoke only after Shruikan picked her up with his teeth and placed her on his back. She argued, of course, but Shruikan knew that there was no time. All three dragons took off into the skies which is why, a day later, they are extremely tired.

_Why do _you_ sound tired, Murtagh?_ Thorn asked, _I'm the one that has been doing all of the flying while you fell asleep on my back._ The red scaled dragon snorted, sending out a plume of smoke which was carried by the wind to Murtagh who coughed at the strong, sulfuric smell.

_So you try to choke me with that ghastly smoke?_ Murtagh complained. _You know how much I hate it when you do that yet you do it anyway when I sleep, when we fly, while I was eating ham the other night…_

_I was actually helping you with that ham,_ Thorn defended himself,_ I turned it into _smoked_ ham._ Thorn smirked as he let off even more smoke from his nostrils.

_That's not how you smoke ham!_ Murtagh whined again as he continued to cough from the excess smoke.

_It is if you're a dragon._ The great red dragon then descended with the others towards the calm, sandy shores of the lake. He landed hard on his feet just to upset Murtagh even more.

"Well thank the gods above that we finally made it, I was about to jump off your back if you were going to continue blowing smoke in my face," Murtagh said as he jumped off of thorn and tripped on the ground from being dizzy after Thorn's landing and from being so high up in the thin air for so many hours.

_Now, you know that I would always catch you,_ Thorn said as he lied down on the sand after getting a quick drink of water.

"Unfortunately," Murtagh answered. He walked over to Eragon and Saphira and passed by Angela who was arguing to Shruikan about landing on your hind feet first and _then _your front instead of the other way around. However, Murtagh noticed that Shruikan's ears were flat against his skull meaning he could not even hear her, he also had a small smile across his scaly lips as he enjoyed the silence. Murtagh smiled and even chuckled a little when Angela began kicking sand at Shruikan's feet. "Hey Eragon," he called when he finally reached him and his dragon, Saphira.

Eragon was just taking Saphira's saddle off of her to get to the cooking supplies. When it was off, Saphira jumped into the water with a large splash which disrupted the calmness of the water, reeled her tail back and brought it forward across the surface of the water and purposely sent a medium sized wave to Eragon which drenched him.

"Saphira!" he scolded, only to have his voice bounce off of the water's calm surface as said dragoness slithered around in the water, stop, lie down, and let the cool water ripple across her scales and wings to sooth the sore muscles. Eragon rolled his eyes and turned towards Murtagh who was laughing lightly. "Is there a problem?" Eragon asked while glaring at him.

"No, no problem, just wanted to ask what is for dinner," Murtagh answered as he continued laughing and walked away. He passed by a confused Arya and accidentally bumped into her. After quickly apologizing, he walked back to his dragon to tell him what happened.

"What's wrong with him?" Arya asked as she went to the water's edge close to Eragon with an empty flask to collect some water.

"Sometimes I wonder," Eragon answered as he went about his business.

-X-X-X-X-X-

It was the middle of the night and the only sources of light in the campsite were the moon and the smoldering ambers of the fire that had been previously extinguished. The dark clouds that Shruikan had previously spotted were now over head dropping heavy rain but no thunder and lightning. The leaves of the trees were rustling with the cold night air along with the calming sound of the rain dripping in the puddles in the sandy ground and in the lake on the edge of the campsite. Everybody was asleep; the dragons had their wings covering their human companions. Yes, everyone dreamed on, that is everyone, except Shruikan.

The great dark colored dragon had his golden eyes wide open. He could not sleep at all because once again, he was thinking about her. _What if she has forgotten me?_ he asked himself. He felt a heavy tug on his wings so he looked down. Of course, it was Angela tugging on his wings to keep her warm and dry. She was speaking incoherently about spells, lizards, toads, and other nonsense. Shruikan rolled his eyes and let off a gentle plume of smoke. He watched as it rose high into the heavens slowly and then dissipate in the night air above. There was a sudden heavy burst of rain so he held his wings close to the ground to keep Arya and Angela dry, and to keep them from blowing with the heavy winds. He looked at the end of his nose to see the water droplets fall off and collect on a small puddle at his feet. He laid his majestic head down upon his front paws and closed his eyes to attempt to sleep once again. That's when he heard it.

Shruikan raised his great head once again when he heard rustling in the bushes. _Please don't let it be bears again; I would hate to fly away in this heavy rain._ He stayed lying down but he remained fully alert. His ears swiveled like a cat's, locating the source of the noise. _Aha! There!_ It was coming from his left. He noticed that the rain was slowing down into a light, cold rain. He stood up, still keeping his wings close to the ground and listened again. He expanded his mind and sure enough, he can feel two other minds to his left. He growled silently to warn whatever animal, whether it is prey or predator, that it is not wanted. He listened closely again and this time, he heard voices.

"Look, there's three of them," one voice whispered.

"Yes, I can see that, I have eyes you know. Now let's go, I don't like the looks of that large black one," another answered.

"But perhaps they can help us out."

"Let's go," the other voice answered again.

Shruikan could tell by the high pitched voices that the intruders are younglings. The rain slowed down again until it became a mist. He folded his wings back since he knew that it would not bother Arya or Angela, besides, they have blankets. He took a step forward into a puddle and quickly brought his foot back from the resounding splash. He checked to see if any of his companions heard. _Good, they're still asleep._ He stepped over the puddle towards the bushes to find out where the noises are coming from. He could see the silhouette of the figures in the bushes but they were turned around and facing away from him. It sounded like they were quietly arguing whether to stay or go.

"Fine, we'll sleep here until morning and ask them, are you happy now?" the larger figure asked.

"Yes, brother, I love you," the smaller one answered.

These figures then settled down into the ground as Shruikan carefully approached them._ When in the world did I get so big and heavy,_ Shruikan asked himself as he found it difficult to stay quiet. He expanded his mind again towards his companions at the clearing and cautioned, _there are two intruders in the left of this clearing, I may need help in scaring them off so bring your weapons._ He cut off his mind immediately to conceal himself from the two intruders but he knew that his warning did not go unheard by his friends. He could see that he was now only ten feet behind the two intruders and that's when he made his move. He stopped and expanded his mind once again until he felt the two unfamiliar minds of the intruders. _Who are you and what are you doing here,_ he said with a firm, authoritative voice. He received an instantaneous reaction as the two figures bolted up, took one look at Shruikan and bolted off towards the campsite screaming as they went. He could see that the fire was alight in the campsite again as his friends were ready to apprehend the two intruders. Shruikan chased them on the ground since he was too tired to fly in the air.

He heard a spell casted by a female voice._ Probably Arya,_ Shruikan thought. He then heard a loud splash. When he entered the site he was shocked by what he saw as was his companions. The intruders were dragons! One dragon was golden in color and was stopped by Arya's spell while the other, he could see, was on the bottom of the lake. He could tell by the splash he heard earlier and by the bubbles that he could see on the surface of the water. The golden dragon had black claws and a yellow underbelly. His eyes were so blue but they seemed to be dull and lifeless, so lifeless that it clawed at the hearts of those who stared into them. This dragon seemed to be half the size of Saphira, the dragon was very young.

Arya, who was holding a dagger in one hand and the other outstretched to hold the spell upon the dragon, was shaking her head in confusion. "Two dragons? But how?"

_Two dragons?_ Shruikan asked. He stepped forward to the golden one to exmine him.

"Yeah, the other little bugger just couldn't stop when he saw the lake and went right into it," Murtagh said with his sword still up and stretched out. "It was pretty funny actually."

_To you, maybe,_ Thorn said. _That youngling tripped on my foot when he fell in the lake, almost broke a claw too._ He began licking his claw to sooth the pain.

_I think you can let this one go now Arya,_ Saphira noted when she approached the golden dragon and sniffed him. _I doubt that he can run away._

"Okay, I am going to release him now, ready?" Arya asked. The three dragons moved into position around the youngling should he try to escape. They nodded to Arya to confirm that they are now ready. She lowered her hand to cut the flow of magic and the youngling fell down on his side panting. The golden one looked up and immediately stood up to confront the dragons and began to growl with smoke constantly pouring out of his nose to look threatening. "What the hell have you done to my little brother?" the gold one said.

The human and elf companions gasped and the dragons withdrew in shock. _How are you able to talk? _Saphira asked.

"Perhaps you did not hear me?" the youngling said. He took a threatening step forward and even let a little gout of flames come out of his nostrils. "I specifically asked, what have you done to…"

There was a loud splash as the other dragon emerged from the murky depths of the water and accidentally sent a large wave over to his older brother which completely drenched him. This dragon gasped as he paddled over to the group. This dragon was a very light blue, lighter than Saphira, he had a silver underbelly with blue eyes as well but they had a twinle of mischievous in them. The older, now drenched dragon, glared at his younger brother. "What were you doing in there, this is no time to play around!"

"But did you see me?" the younger one asked. "I stayed in the water for five whole minutes! Did you see, did ya, did ya, did ya?"

"Stop talking!" the older one commanded. "Now let's go, I knew that we shouldn't have stayed here with these puppet dragons. Let's just go!"

The three dragons glared at the golden one after the comment of them being puppets. They knew that they were certainly _not_ puppets. They can do whatever they want, be friends with whomever they like, go wherever they please. A puppet dragon is one that is always controlled by someone. That someone can control when they eat, sleep, who to attack, who to kill, when to fly. This type of dragon would not be a dragon at all. Dragons are all about freedom. A puppet dragon would be like, well, someone like what Shruikan once was. This explains why he was very angry at the comment because he knew what it was like to be a puppet dragon, he's been down that road in the past.

_Watch who you are calling a puppet dragon, hatchling,_ Shruikan warned. _I do not take kindly to being called what I once was. I do not like to be reminded of my past. _

"Precisely my point," the golden dragon spat. "Now let's go, they cannot help us."

"But you promised," the younger one whined as he dropped his wings to the ground, let his eyes tear up a bit and walked forward towards his older brother, dragging his wings on the ground to look innocent to his brother.

"That look worked with our mother, it may have worked for our father, but it sure as hell ain't gonna work for me," the gold one said. "This is the last time that I will say it, let's go."

"But you promised!" the younger one kept on repeating this over and over again while walking around his brother dragging his wings on the sandy, cold, dark shore.

"I had my wings crossed behind my back!"

The younger one gasped. "You can do that? Can you teach me, please?" he tried to cross his own wings behind his back only to tumble to the ground at his attempt as he lost his balance.

Eragon stepped forward to the older dragon since he was getting tired of hearing the younger one whine. The golden one looked towards him and glared. "Stay back before I bite your head off," the dragon warned.

Saphira roared as she immediately jumped beside her rider. _Not while I am around, hatchling. You would do well to watch your manners._ Her voiced softened into one that sounded like a mother's voice. _We only want to help._

"I doubt there's anything that you lot can do to help us, I just want to go right now," the older dragon kept that fierce look in his eyes. Saphira stared at this dragon and noticed a small tear come out of his dull, blue eyes.

Saphira knew that she would be taking a risk, but she felt that it was needed when the dragon faced the ground to hide the tear. She stood beside the dragon and unfurled a wing to act as a security blanket to the hatchling to comfort him. The younger one saw this and seemed slightly jealous as he squeezed his way next to his brother under Saphira's wing. Saphira told everybody else to go back to sleep so she can privately talk to them. They did, but Shruikan stayed to help.

They let the fire stay alit to give Saphira, Shruikan, and the two brothers some light as they converse.

_Now little ones, what are your names?_ Saphira asked.

The golden one was shaking, whether it was from the cold or because he is still shedding tears Saphira did not know. She had a feeling that it was the later.

The younger dragon answered. "My name is Ehecatl and my brother's name is Astarot." He decided that he could not fit next to his brother so he got out from underneath Saphira's wing. Shruikan saw this and lied down in front of Saphira, stretching out his wing to let Ehecatl lie down underneath it to stay warm on this cold night. He looked up and noticed more clouds coming in the still dark sky.

_Hmm,_ Shruikan thought. _If I am not mistaken, I believe that the name Astarot stands for 'the chief' or 'leader'._ He smiled at him. _You must be a very brave youngling to bear that name. but in order to correctly use that name, you need to know when to accept help. I remember when my own mother said "It takes a good leader to fix a mistake by himself, but it takes a great leader to know when to accept help." _Shruikan stared down at Ehecatl._ You need to know what is best for your nest-mate, whatever you are doing or wherever you are going, you are going to need our help. Are you a good leader, or a great leader?_ Shruikan asked when he stared back at Astarot.

Astarot looked up at Shruikan, he still had a tear that rolled down his golden, scaly cheek. "I don't know," he said. "I want to be a great leader but how can I? I do not want to drag all of you into this mess right now."

_What mess?_ Saphira asked.

"Astarot won't tell me, he says that I am too young to know but I know that's not true. All I want is to find mama. Can you help us find her?" Ehecatl asked. He snuggled closer to Shruikan's large belly to get maximum warmth. For some reason, it was getting much colder tonight.

_I'm sure that we can find her,_ Saphira said. _Shruikan is trying to find someone too. I'm sure that we can find both of them._ She tightened her wing over Astarot to keep him warmer as the wind picked up a little bit and the leaves rustled against one another._ Right Shruikan?_

_Yes of course,_ he answered.

"Who are you looking for?" Ehecatl asked.

_I'm not sure if he feels comfortable talking about that subject, _Saphira said. _Perhaps…_

_No, it's quite alright Saphira,_ Shruikan decided. _You see little ones, I am missing my rider. It was years ago, I was flying with my rider just for the fun of it. We flew everywhere, across forests and deserts, through waterfalls, we even tried to reach the end of a rainbow one time._ The two brothers looked on at Shruikan.

"What happened," Ehecatl asked.

_Well, one time when we were flying, she wanted to see the ocean, so I took her there, but there was a big sudden storm that I hadn't sensed. When I noticed it, it was already too late because I was two miles away from the shoreline over the vast expanse of the ocean. We were hit by the storm and my rider fell off my back. I tried to fly after her but I lost sight of her. When I finally saw her, it was too late for she plunged into the ocean._

"Did you go after her?" Astarot questioned.

_Yes, I did. I went after her into the ocean and grabbed her before she drowned. I flew her in my claws to the shore and checked for any vital signs of life, I found none._

The two younglings were silent, the only sound was the rustling of leaves, and the crackling of the diminishing fire.

_I felt so terrible, that I left her there when the storm finally passed over. Now, I have heard that she is alive and living in the North which is where we are now going._

"The North?" Astarot studdered. "You mean, Frostloral?"

_Yes, Frostloral,_ Saphira answered, _Why do you seem depressed about going there?_

Astarot looked over at Ehecatl and noticed that he was sound asleep. "Me and my brother want to go South, we came from Frostloral and we're running away from it at my mother's request."

Shruikan looked shocked. _So…your mother is not lost._

"I don't know anymore, maybe, probably. The last time I saw her was after father…" he didn't finish the sentence, instead, he looked down for more tears were dripping out of his eyes.

Saphira looked alarmed,_ Your father what? What did your father do?"_

He shook his head to remove the tears and tried to stop tearing up. "The reason why we are running away from there is because of what my father has done to Frostloral. He changed it, he made it horrible. He has done bad things to my mother. I remember that in the past, back when I was actually happy and did not know of how bad my father actually was, I walked in a room that mother and father were in. Mother was on the ground, she was bleeding all over her white scales. Father was behind her, he…he was…" he cried even more.

Shruikan and Saphira had understood what had happened. Their mother was raped._ You don't have to say anything, we understand. _Saphira comforted him. She nuzzled him and removed a tear that was still on his scaly cheek.

"Two weeks later, there was an egg, and three weeks after that he hatched," he gestured to his younger brother who was still sleeping. "After I told mother what I saw, she told me that she wants to save us, she said that we should go to the South, to Alagaesia and find a safe place to stay, she said that she will come get us when everything is back to normal."

_How long ago did she tell you that,_ Shruikan asked, still shocked and alarmed of what he has heard.

"That was two years ago, and it was the longest two years of my life. My brother did not want to leave so we stayed hidden in the woods for a year, I knew that we had to leave so without him knowing, I moved us closer and closer to the South. A year later, we found you guys."

Shruikan and Saphira were saddened after Astarot told them everything that has happened in their land. _Why don't you find a place to sleep close to the fire to warm you up, you two have had a long day,_ Saphira suggested.

Aristot yawned and nodded as he picked himself up and walked by the now small fire that shrank from the harsh wind.

Saphira looked as he walked; she had a worried expression on her face.

_What are you thinking?_ Shruikan asked as he rose from the sand.

_I'm thinking that we now have much more on our plate than we thought. Instead of just finding Akarli, now it seems that we are entering another country in distress, this may be what has already happened here in Alagaesia._ Saphira seemed distraught, she shook her head to clear her mind of the new situation at hand. _I think that you, Shruikan, should be their temporary father._

_What!_ Shruikan shouted. _Why?_

_Because they need a father, and by seeing you interacting with them, you have the necessities that a father should have. Besides, if everybody that still sees you as 'bad' hear that you are now helping two younglings, most likely their opinions of you will change positively._

Shruikan thought of this carefully. _Fine, I have always wondered what it would be like to have children; this should be good practice for if I ever find a mate._

Saphira nodded._ How in the world can they talk out loud? _She wondered as she got up and walked back towards the now sleeping Eragon.

_I think I have an idea as to why, I'll tell you in the morning._ He walked back to where he was sleeping when Saphira agreed, but then he decided to sleep by the younglings to begin acting as their father. He laid a wing over both of them when he settled in on the cold sand. He looked to Saphira and saw her doing the same to Eragon. Thorn, who was right next to Saphira, had one wing over Murtagh, and unfurled the other one over Saphira. Shruikan felt a bit jealous but he knew that he was too old for her. _I have also wondered what it would be like to have a mate, _he thought to himself as he laid his head down on his paws. He took one last look at the sky and noticed that once again, there were clouds above. Before he closed his eyes, he noticed a single snowflake in front of his snout, he seemed fascinated by it. _It has been years since I have seen beauty like this,_ he commented to himself. When he saw more snowflakes falling lazily with the wind, he tightened his wing over the two brothers, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

* * *

Sincerely,

_The Aviator_


	4. The White Out

Well, after much delay from AP examinations, Regents examinations, and other High School stuff as well as procrastination, I finally managed to post Chapter four of _To Find a Rider_. YOUR WELCOME! I dedicate this to a very good friend of mine who's name rhymes with Pam for kicking me where it hurts and forcing me to write this chapter or she will uninvite me to her 16th B-day party. Thank you! By the way person who's name rhymes with Pam, can you invite me back to your party please...

By the way, I appologize for breaking my promise, I have absolutely no excuse for neglecting to write this before my 16th birthday on 5-5-09, sorry everybody, I got caught up in that funny little thing called life. Once again, I appalogize. As a gift to you all for patiently waiting, I give you the longest chapter in this story so far at 5800+ words not including these notes.

_Random quote:_ _"I reject your reality and substitute my own" ~ Adam Savage from the Mythbusters_

**PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S CHALLENGE AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER, THE WINNER WILL RECIEVE A PREVIEW OF THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

_Disclaimer: Under no circumstances do I own the Inheritance Cycle, that series_ _is owned by Christopher Paolini, I only own the new setting, the plot, and my new characters. Please ask if you are interested in using one of these things in your writing. Don't worry, I'm nice._

* * *

The morning was slightly chilly with the sun only giving them slight heat, not enough to warm everybody up. The dragons were still sleeping as were the riders and their companions. Shruikan was sleeping as well, protecting the younglings under his wings from the harsh cold and the dizzying flurries. Saphira suddenly felt a chill, and slowly, she opened an eye. She blinked a couple of times to clear the drowsiness out of her eye. She picked her neck up while still under Thorn's wing and still protecting her rider beneath her own wing, she scanned her surroundings with wide and wondrous eyes that sparkled with amazement.

The lake and the sandy shores are all covered in snow, just enough to cover the ground slightly but not too much. The lake iced over from the cold night, letting the sun sparkle its brilliance upon the frozen, crystal clear waters of the lake. She looked up into the cloudy sky and noticed more snowflakes falling out of the sky. She kept her eyes locked on one flake and she followed it as it twirled and danced in the sky as it was carried by the wind to the cold, awaiting earth below. It eventually settled on the tip of her noise, melting once it made contact with the naturally hot draconic scales.

_Eragon,_ she called out to the sleeping rider under her warm wing. She craned her magnificent long neck down under her wing and nudged the sleeping man. _Eragon, wake up._

The blue rider stirred slightly, but remained asleep under his companion's warm wing, digging himself closer to her body to stay warm in the cold morning. Saphira reeled her head back and snorted, sending a puff of smoke into the air, melting some snowflakes. Then she smirked as she began forming an idea. Carefully, she stood up onto her feet and slid out from under Thorn's wing, holding one wing over her still sleeping rider. During the night, snow piled up on top of her wing and she had to be careful not to let any fall…yet. Once she was in position, she angled her wing down towards her rider, letting the bleached substance slide down on top of her rider, encasing him in a snowy cocoon. The result was instantaneous, he awoke.

"Saphira?" Eragon shouted. "What in the…"

Said dragoness placed the tip of his tail on her mouth to prevent him from waking the others. She then pointed a claw to her head indicating to Eragon to open his mind and let her in. He did.

_What is it?_ He asked more calmly as he stood out of the pile of snow, brushing the loose flakes off of him.

_Take a look for yourself, little one,_ she said with a calm smile as she proceeded to shake herself of snowflakes that partially covered her throughout the night.

He did and was astounded by the way the snow covered everything and made it all look at peace with one another. The frozen lake still looked crystal clear. The pine trees that surrounded them were also covered in snow yet they looked more grand. Deer could be seen skipping in the woods through the snow as well, making them look at home. _I should really make a fairth of this later,_ he thought. He turned back to Saphira, _This reminds me of the winters back in Carvahall, _he said.

The sapphire blue dragoness stared back at her rider and cocked her head to the side, _You have seen this beauty before?_ She asked.

Eragon nodded.

_I have never seen this at all, this would be the first time that I have seen this…this…_

_Snow,_ Eragon finished for her, _it's called snow, basically it's just frozen flakes of water that piles on top of one another. Perhaps you haven't seen snow because you were born in the Spring time and we traveled towards the South where it is much warmer so we never so snow down there at all. Honestly this is the first time I have seen snow for two years._

Saphira stared at the snowy landscape again with wide, sparkling sapphire eyes, _It is amazing…_ she whispered in his mind.

_Right, well then, shall we wake everybody up? I believe that we should leave and begin flying once again,_ the blue rider asked.

_Perhaps, but I would like to see more of this snow,_ Saphira said as she stood up and walked towards the frozen lake,_ Just call me when you are all ready._

_Of course,_ Eragon agreed. He began walking towards Murtagh and Thron when he remembered what he and Roran used to do when they were younger when it snowed at their farm in Carvahall. He changed his path towards Roran instead and picked up some snow in his bare hand which left him shivering from the icy coldness of the white substance. He packed it into a ball, spotted Roran sleeping in a bedroll under a tree, took aim…and fired.

Instead of dreaming of his wife and child, Roran soon found himself awaken by a snowball aimed at his face. He stood up and grabbed his hammer that he put under his pillow and listened for….laughing? He noticed his cousin on the ground laughing his head off when he whispered something under his breath, "Immature ass." He then began packing up his bedroll.

-X-X-X-X-X-

When Angela awoke and left Shruikan to gather water in the waterskins, Saphira padded towards the large distraught dragon and lied down on her belly in front of him while Shruikan picked up his head from its resting position on the ground. The young dragon hatchling was walking on the frozen lake, slipping frequently while the older one watched on from the shore, making sure that no harm came to his younger brother.

_So, do you mind telling me how the two nest-mates can talk out-loud?_ Saphira asked when she turned back to face him after watching the two brothers.

_Yes, I can,_ Shruikan answered as he looked to the two brothers. _You see, the reason as to why they can talk out loud is because they are wild dragons._

_Wild dragons? _Saphira asked as she too looked back to the two younglings. _I figured that they were wild but how can that allow them to talk rather than think out loud._

Shruikan sighed. _Back in the war between the elves and the dragons, before the rider pact was made, all dragons could talk. However, when the pact between rider and dragon was made the ability to talk was taken away, allowing the only form of speech that a dragon or dragoness to possess to be by thought. This is so that should both rider and dragon have to fight an enemy, they can both plot out how to take the enemy down without the enemy overhearing their discussion. However, wild dragons on the other hand, er…claw, do not need to talk within their mind, after all, why should they? They do not have a rider to mentally converse with, and if a war is raging on they would ignore it and not fight, until the war with the elves._

The blue dragoness was shocked to hear all of this. _Amazing,_ she whispered.

Saphira and Shruikan then heard large padded footsteps approaching them. They turned their heads to the side and noticed that Thorn was walking towards them. However, the red dragon was not watching where he stepped and unknowingly placed a foot on a patch of ice and slipped. Unfortunately, Murtagh was right under the large red dragon when he began to fall, he did not even see it coming until he found himself face down in the cold snow with his own dragon holding him there.

Saphira watched the whole thing and all she could do was laugh at the whole situation which came out as a grumbling sound mixed in with low-pitched growls while Angela started yelling at the large, clumsy dragon that he almost crushed the materials which would have left them without food. Apparently she found this to be a much more pressing matter than a crushed Murtagh.

Thorn eventually was able to get up back onto his feet as well as Murtagh who was now cursing out loud at his dragon while Thorn did not look amused at being embarrassed by his fall and now insulted by his own rider. He brought his own head down to stare at his rider in the eye and blew smoke into his face which he knew that Murtagh hated. The red rider stumbled and fell onto the frozen lake. Thorn turned around to walk over to Shruikan and Saphira again but not without using his tail as a bat which made the rider slide far out onto the ice by Ehecatl who did not watch where he was sliding and tripped over Murtagh. Eragon began carefully walking onto the ice to help his brother. Thorn did not even look back as he sat by the sapphire blue dragoness and the large black dragon.

_Are you going to help your rider?_ Saphira smirked at Murtagh's predicament.

_What rider?_ Thorn answered making Saphira laugh even more.

Shruikan frowned, _Now Thorn, haven't I always told you to care for your rider as if he was your hatchling?_

_You have also taught Murtagh to always be respectful towards me, but I don't see that happening anytime soon, now do I? _Thorn asked as he began licking the paw that he slipped on.

Shruikan blew smoke in annoyance of Thorn's ever-changing personality around his rider but Thorn ignored this.

_So, what were you talking about, Saphira? _The red dragon asked his friend.

_Oh nothing, just about Ehecatl and Astarot,_ she answered as she looked lovingly into the red dragon's fierce, blazing red eyes. Shruikan rolled his eyes at the couple and he tried to ignore their signs of affection.

_Who?_ Thorn questioned.

The blue dragoness pointed with an ivory claw to the two young dragon hatchlings that were now together on the shores of the lake talking to each other.

_Ahh, I see,_ Thorn said. _What about them?_

Saphira shook her head after she gazed into Thorn's eyes and looked at the two brothers. They were playing a game of Hide-and-seek. The young dragon was looking everywhere for the older one not even bothering to look into the air above him. Astarot was hovering above the confused dragon and was quietly laughing to himself at the confused dragon below him.

_Well, remember from last night when we found them and were shocked at how the little ones can talk?_ Saphira questioned. _Well, Shruikan was just telling me the reason as to why they have the ability to talk._

_Oh really? _Thorn asked. He was really interested in this topic since he found it odd that they can out loud and not within their minds. _So, how can they talk?_

_It is because they are wild dragons,_ the large black dragon answered and proceeded to tell Thorn the same exact thing that he told the sapphire blue dragoness. Thorn gave Shruikan his full attention when he was talking to him, almost as if he was a teacher giving a lesson to his student. Saphira wondered if Shruikan was actually Thorn's teacher when they used to live at the castle under Galbatorix's command.

_It would make sense, _Saphira thought to herself. She looked back out onto the frozen lake and sighed when she noticed Eragon and Murtagh were far out on the ice slipping every which way trying to get back but ultimately having no such luck. When Shruikan finished explaining to Thorn as to why the dragons could talk outloud, the large black dragon also looked out onto the lake and sighed.

_It looks as though both of your riders need help,_ the large dragon said as he looked out onto the lake. Thorn looked in the direction that Shruikan was looking in and sighed as well.

_I'll get them, _he said as he got up and began walking towards the ice.

_I will go with you, _Saphira announced. _But try not to slip on the ice again and crush your rider_. She smirked.

_Oh, shut up,_ Thorn ordered.

As the two dragons-in-love walked together out onto the icy surface of the lake, Shruikan shook his head. _Love birds,_ he thought._ Perhaps, soon I can get a chance at love as well since my old master deprived me of having a mate._ He then looked towards the two hatchlings once again. _If those two came from Frostloral, then perhaps there are more dragonesses there as well, perhaps I will find one that will see me for who I am and not for what I was forced to do, if only…_ The great dragon stood up and began walking towards Angela and Roran who were working on preparing the group for the long flight. He smiled when the two hatchlings walked with him, one on either side of his massive body. He began talking to them. _So, are you ready to go back to your home in the north?_ He asked.

Astarot's brilliant blue eyes looked solemn for a while. "I'm…not sure, I don't feel ready yet to go back home. Whatever we find there, I know that I am not gonna like it."

_There are many things in this world that we will not like,_ the great dragon preached. _However, we are going to have to eventually face our fears head on and fix what is wrong, lest it shall get much worst._

Astarot nodded in understanding. "I am sorry that I called you a puppet dragon, Mr…"

_Shruikan, _the dragon finished for him. He smiled at the two young hatchlings, _Just Shruikan will do, no need for unnessesary formal titles and such._ He shook his massive body. _It makes me feel old. And it is quite alright but please see to it that it does not happen again, I…I just do not like being reminded of my past; it is something that I am not proud of._ Shruikan hung his head in shame.

"Oh, I'm sorry Shruikan, it will never happen again," Astarot apologized as he too dropped his head in shame for his earlier actions.

Shruikan saw this and smiled, he placed a wing over him to comfort him. _Now, now, it is nothing to be shameful about right now. What's done is done; the past will remain where it belongs in the past. All we have to look forward to now is the future._

Astarot looked towards him and smiled. As Shruikan looked at him, he noticed that this is a truly distraught and upset dragonet, one that had to grow up too quickly and was robbed of his childhood. His heart went out to the little blue-eyed one. In a way, he reminded him of Thorn's rider as well as Thorn himself.

"So, what happened in your past," Ehecatl asked. Astarot sent his little brother a death glare. He reached out a leg from under Shruikan and kicked his brother. Ehecatl looked back and stuck his tongue out at his older brother.

_Now, little ones, no need to fight, it was just an honest question,_ Shruikan chastised. _However, I apologize Ehecatl, but I do not think this is an appropriate time for this question, I…do not feel ready to reveal my past just yet._

"Sorry, Shruikan," Ehecatl apologized. He, too hung his head low in shame.

_It's okay, Ehecatl, in time, when I feel strong enough I _will_ eventually answer your question, but now is not the time._ He placed his other wing over him as well.

They continued walking on in silence towards Angela and Roran but they were still a long distance away from them. The snow crunched beneath their feet as the flurries continued falling in random patterns from the cloudy skies above.

_It is going to be a long flight today,_ Shruikan noted as he recalled Angela's pre-flight instructions from the previous night._ We will take-off shortly and we will fly until the sun turns red and is half way down on the western horizon. That will give us enough time to hunt, cook the meals for our human companions, set up camp and make other necessary preparations when we arrive at Condor's valley._

Astarot suddenly stopped short with wide eyes as well as Ehecatl. Shruikan, confused, turned around to see what was the matter.

"Condor's valley?" He asked. "We're flying all the way to Condor's valley?"

Shruikan nodded.

"That is extremely far away, how are we going to cover that full distance in one day?" he asked, incredulously.

Shruikan lifted his wings to answer his question. _We fly._

"But I cannot fly that fast or for that length of time, and Ehecatl cannot even fly, period! There's no possible way that we can do this!"

Shruikan chuckled as he set his wings down and shook himself to rid himself of the snowflakes that settled on his back. _You can do anything if you set your mind to it, all you need is a little persuasion and motivation, as for Ehecatl, I have no problem holding him on my back but you may have to hold a companion and perhaps even some provisions as well but I do not think that it should be a problem for you at all, after all, you appear to be a dragon built for strength judging by your wide body and numerous muscles surrounding you. If anything I can lend you some of my strength._

They began walking once again. "Carry a…a human?" Astarot asked. "But what if one of them tries to hurt me or tries to hurt my brother. I'm already bothered that we have to be around them but now travel with them? Carry them? We're dragons, not horses, we should just let them fend for themselves and…" he was interrupted by Shruikan's roar to which everybody in the camp responded by looking at him.

_I am sorry for scaring you little one but I will _not_ tolerate you talking about my friends in such a manner. They are not weak like you are suggesting, they are our friends. We all stay together to help each other and protect each other, we will be together until the sands of time have ended and we will never leave one behind. I apologize but you are going to have to learn how to trust others, I understand that your father was not a very good fatherly figure but you are going to have to trust all of us, we will protect you and we will help you and your country to the best of our ability,_ Shruikan stated only to Astarot and not to Ehecatl. _How can anyone trust you…if you do not trust anyone?_

Astarot crouched down trying to escape Shruikan's tall gaze, he hung his head in shame once again. "I'm sorry…Shruikan, I didn't know that you…were so close to these…humans."

The great dark colored dragon continued staring at him intently,_ Perhaps you should understand the concept of dragon riders and learn of the responsibilities of each dragon and rider before you make your judgment. _He softened his gaze on the young dragonet._ Maybe it would be a good thing if you talked with one of them, maybe Murtagh seeing how you too both seem very alike in a multitude of ways. He didn't trust many either._

The young dragon boldly stared back up into the large dragon's eyes. "Yes Shruikan, sorry."

The great dragon nodded again and continued walking; letting the snow cool him off before he spoke anymore, the dragonets followed behind him. Aristot ran up to his side and began talking again.

"So," he began. "Who are they?"

_Who are who? _Shruikan responds as he tries to deal with the headache that he now has.

"The riders. Who are they? What are their names? Are they nice?" Astarot asked.

Shruikan stopped, cocked his head to his side and looked down at the two hatchlings as they walked in front of him._ Perhaps introductions are in order_. He began walking towards everybody that is now at the campsite. He stopped by Eragon who was currently putting the packs together and lugging them over to Saphira where he and Roran latched them onto her saddle. _This is Eragon and this is Roran,_ Shruikan introduced while pointing a claw to the respected ones. _Eragon, Roran? This is Astarot and the one over there trying to cross his wings behind his back is Ehecatl._

"Good morning, how do you do?" Eragon greeted.

"Hello, enjoying yourself?" Roran asked.

"Yes, hello, we are doing just fine," Astarot answered.

"Good morning to you too, sirs," Ehecatl greeted when he was done fiddling with his wings behind his back.

_Eragon here is the blue rider, his dragon companion is Saphira, the sapphire blue dragoness that you two were talking to last night,_ Shruikan stated. _And Roran is Eragon's cousin, they have been together for many years._

"Yes, and I am the more mature one out of both of us," Roran interjected. "Seeing as how I do not throw snowballs at my cousin like a young child does."

Eragon turned around, "You're not mature, we used to throw snowballs back and forth on each other every time it snowed back at Carvahall. Besides, you snore like a warthog with its mouth open."

"So?"

"So, that's not mature!" Eragon answered.

They continued to bicker until Saphira came over and slammed her tail between the two of them before the fight became physical. She sighed as she noticed them trying to climb over her tail trying to get at each other. _Fortunately, none of them are the more mature ones. That's what I am here for, to stop these two from getting up at each other's throats which makes me the more mature one._ She sighed again when the two cousins jumped over her tail. She turned around and placed a paw on top of each one of them to hold them still as she disciplines them.

The two dragonets laughed as Shruikan walked the two young dragons over to Murtagh and Thorn who were just lounging in the sun. Murtagh was propped up against Thorn's side as Thorn was staring off into the lake. They both noticed Shruikan's arrival but they did not move from their original positions. _These two are also rider and dragon, meet Murtagh and Thorn,_ again pointing a claw to the respected rider and dragon. _These two are the lazier ones in the group but they can also be hard workers when properly motivated._

"Good morning," Murtagh greeted as Thorn dipped his head in a formal manner as a greeting.

"Hello," Astarot answered.

Ehecatl went to stand in front of Shruikan and looked at the pair on the ground. Then he asked Shruikan, "What do you mean when they are 'properly motivated'?"

_Well, for example, they will fight when they are about to get killed, work when food is involved, or work when I do this._ He glared angrily at the dragon and rider that were lying down and addressed them while putting his large head in their face and blowing smoke in annoyance. _Now get back to work or there will be hell to pay!_ he shouted angrily at the two who immediately stood right up and began packing while Murtagh's legs were shaking and Thorn refused to look up at Shruikan's angry expression. _These two are also real mysteries, I'll tell you about their past once I tell you about mine._ Then he led them to Arya and Angela who were gathering provisions together as well. _Ahh, here are some normal people, well…semi-normal,_ he said once he looked at Angela. _Meet Angela and Arya._

The two quickly said their hellos before going right back to work. Angela, however turned right back around when she noticed the two dragonets.

"Ahh, the newcomers!" she exclaimed. "Oh we simply must talk again soon and I simply must give you a check-up just like I did to Shruikan, which reminds me, have you been taking more baths like I told you, Shruikan?"

_Er, we should go right now,_ the great dragon said as he began to back up. The hatchlings looked at him with a confused face. _Come, let's go._

"Don't make me bathe you myself Shruikan! I will do this if I have to, I'm not afraid of you!" Angela called back as the three dragons rushed to go help the others.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Meanwhile, in the small town of Crystila in the country known as Frostloral, there was a little wooden house where a mother lived with her eighteen year old daughter and six month old son. The daughter just came in through the door and she locked it up tight as the mother gave her a confused look as she rocked her baby boy to sleep in front of the fireplace.

"The King's Secret Police is here and they are taking away the political prisoners!" the daughter shouted.

The mother's eyes went wide as she immediately stood up and ushered the young adult into a back room. Once they were there, the mother immediately locked the door and closed the curtains in the windows and turned off all of the candle lights. She quietly rocked the baby to sleep as the small family began hearing screams from outside of the house as everybody ran every which way. The mother and her two children sat in a closed closet as they waited for the danger to pass away. The young teenager began silently crying to herself. The mother noticed this and softly placed her child down on some clothing that was on the closet floor. She went to console her daughter.

"Shh, it's going to be okay Amelia, everything is going to be okay," the mother quietly said as she hugged her daughter.

"No! It's not, it will never be okay, the damn police are going to come every single day and take away more innocent people! They are never going to stop and they always force us into hiding in our own home! What is wrong with this country? What is wrong with everything?" The daughter cried in her mother's arms as she continued to hold her.

"Shh, don't worry, soon everything will change," the mother said.

The daughter ripped out of her mother's arms. "No! No, it will never be the same; this is going to happen every single day! They took away our father and only God knows what happened to him but I don't want to know. How long? How long are they going to do this? The king just does whatever he damn pleases and nobody has the guts to go and confront him. When the hell will everything go back to normal? I never saw true peace!"

The mother looked downfallen upon her daughter. "I am sorry that you had to be born in such a terrible time, but I am sure that something is going to change," she said as she held her heart. "I have a feeling that help is on its way."

The daughter cleared her eyes and quietly walked to the curtains and carefully, slightly opened one to look at what has transpired outside. She gasped. There was blood everywhere, in the streets, on houses, everywhere! There were also mangled bodies every which way. She saw a person crawl in front of the window but suddenly, a large, silver, scaly body landed in front of the person and smirked. The daughter looked into the dragon's vermillion eyes and only saw cruelness and malice intentions. The next scene made her sick to her stomach as the dragon smirked at the human before him, he bent his head down and bit the man's head off and swallowed it, and then he did away with the rest of the body, not even caring about the family that will now miss the man. Blood was all over the dragon's claws and mouth. He chuckled evilly and took off into the sky easily. The daughter threw up on the floor and the mother rushed with the baby in her arms to help her and hold her in her arms. The mother quickly checked outside of the window and made sure that the bedroom door was locked. Then, she helped her daughter into her bed while setting the baby on the other bed in the room. The mother placed some clothing on the hard floor and tried to sleep through the evil times that she was in. When she did sleep, she dreamt of good, kind dragons and, unbeknownst to her, her past life. Yes, this person was Akarli…

-X-X-X-X-X-

The three dragons and their human and elvin companions are several thousand feet in the air now, flying towards their destination of Frostloral. Eragon and Roran were on Saphira, Murtagh and Arya were flying on Thorn, Ehecatl was on Shruikan since he was too young to fly, and Angela was flying on Astarot which did not suit him at all since she is constantly asking him questions and poking him with strange instruments.

_So, Shruikan,_ Saphira called. _How old are the younglings?_

Shruikan stared at her as he flapped his wings and soared above the clouds. _I believe Astarot said that he is currently in his fourteenth year and Ehecatl is but only eight years old._

Saphira was shocked upon hearing this. _Fourteen and eight years old? How can that be? I am but only two years old but look at how large I am, look at how large Thorn is._

Thorn nodded in agreement as he too joined in the conversation. _Yes, how can that be?_ He asked.

_Well, _Shruikan commenced. _Wild dragons age much slower than us rider dragons. After the pact, the rider dragons had to grow more quickly so we can be stronger and bigger faster in case we have to battle an enemy quickly. It makes sense if you think about it. A rider and dragon could make some pretty powerful enemies rather quickly so it is beneficial to both their health if the dragon was grown up and already big and strong._

Saphira ran this over in her mind._ Makes sense, so if I was a wild dragon I would be approximately half the size of Ehecatl, correct?_

Shruikan answered her, _yes, that should be about it, a bit smaller than a horse._

_Then it is a good thing that we're rider dragons, right Saphira?_ Thorn asked.

_Most definitely, I wouldn't bear the thought of me being a small being. I love being big, it just gives you, well…_

_A feeling of importance?_ Thorn asked, _I agree._

_Yes, I,_ she stopped. Shruikan and Thorn looked at her and found her struggling to gain lift to stay into the air.

_Saphira?_ Thorn asked worriedly, _are you okay, do you need help._

She didn't talk for a while as she kept flapping her wings trying to stay in the air, something was indeed wrong. _No, ow, my wings…it's my wings, something is wrong with them…_

Eragon heard this and he as well as Roran looked at her wings and were shocked at what they saw. Ice was forming on her wings and every time she flapped her wings, the ice would break but stay stuck to her wings and cut into then. Eragon was horrified when he saw this. He continually shouted "Weíse Heill!" but once her wings were mended, they would just get cut once again as ice continued to form around her wings. Eragon was getting so impatient with the ice that he tried his next idea without thinking it through. He shouted "Brisingr!" and instantly Saphira's wings caught fire. This terrified the dragoness and she began bucking and twisting trying to put out the fire which eventually worked, then she glared at Eragon.

_Are you trying to kill me?_ Saphira shouted. _Fine, then I shall do the same to you!_ She then proceeded to do loops and flips, trying to traumatize Eragon.

"Easy, I'm here too Saphira! I didn't do anything!" Roran shouted while Eragon held on for dear life.

Eventually Saphira did stop but only because her wings were hurting her again as the ice formed once again on her wings. That was when Shruikan noticed that they were inside of a cloud layer and that snow began slamming into everybody. Unknowingly, the dragons flew straight into a winter storm and were now being pummeled by the harsh winds and the heavy snows! They could not look forward whatsoever. Shruilkan knew that they could not fly above the clouds since there would not be enough oxygen up there. The only thing that he knew that they had to do was land. _Everybody, land right now!_ he shouted into everybody's minds. They complied. However that is when a new problem arose.

_Shruikan!_ Saphira shouted, I _can't see the ground, how high up are we?_ She sounded very nervous as she flew through the storm.

By now, ice was forming on all of the dragon's wings. He stared down at the ground only to have his vies obstructed by clouds that went all the way to the ground. _I don't know, I can't tell, we could be extremely high up or right above the tree line for all I know!_ Shruikan shouted. _Astarot! Get on top of me right now!_

"But what of Angela?" Astarot shouted. Somehow, Angela did not notice the storm and fell asleep on the young dragon's back.

_Just get on, I'll hold you both! _Shruikan shouted. Astarot did as he was told and flew on top of Shruikan, then he slowly descended onto the dragon's back. _Now everybody, descend very slowly in case there are trees_ _beneath us._

All of the dragons did, but suddenly the wind picked up and a strong downdraft formed pushing the dragons down causing everybody to lose control as their wings were fully covered in ice. The riders and young dragons held on for dear life as the dragons were slammed into the ground by the strong downdraft. They slammed into the trees, splintering them all which knocked the dragons unconscious, then, by the force of gravity, the dragons were sent rolling down the hill on which they landed on bumping into more trees and rocks, bruising everybody greatly. Then, eventually, the ground leveled out and the dragons were then sent out onto a frozen lake slamming into it and causing cracks to form, this put everybody unconscious. Eventually, the dragons came to a stop in the middle of a large lake with cracks forming in the ice around them as the snow continuously slammed into the ground and the wind ceased to stop causing a complete white out.

* * *

Well, how was that? I believe that the sudden suspense in the last few paragraphs, according to my extensive research, is called a cliff-hanger. Am I right? lol.

Well Here's the challenge: _We all know what a cliff-hanger is, but do we know where it stated? Give me the name of the book and the author as well as the reason as to why the author used the cliff hanger in which you believe is the first appearance of the cliff-hanger. I believe that I do have the answer in my head but just in case, I will check all of the answers. The winner will recieve a preview of the next chapter in To Find a Rider. Just drop your answer in a review. Good luck everybody! And don't worry, since it is Summer Vacation, I should be able to update much faster. Until next time..._

Sincerely,

_The Aviator_


	5. Of Dreams and Unknown Saviors

Well, here is chapter five, everybody! There is just one thing that I must say which you must know. During the dream sequences, the itilicized thoughts/talking within the mind has been switched with the plain font narative lines. This means that now the narative lines are itilicized and the thoughts/talking within the mind are in plain font. This is only for the dream sequences. Also, please, I need reviews, they make me write faster and make me feel better about how I write. I really appreciate constructive criticism, so please, just send some my way and I will write better _and_ faster. Thank you!

There is a song at the end of this chapter, it is a choral song that my middle school choir sang years ago. To listen to it, simply go to http:/ www. youtube .com/watch?v=bP KYpwG7i9Ijust remove the spaces.

_Disclaimer: Under no circumstances do I own the Inheritance Cycle, that is owned by Christopher Paolini. I only own my original characters. Also, the song The Land of Our Dreams is written by Hope Harrison and arranged by Jay Althouse, it is currently copyrighted by Alfred Publishing Co._

* * *

The wind howled angrily as it passed over the downed and unconscious dragons and their human companions, whipping the cold snow across their freezing backs. The temperature lowered to an unbearable point for light-clothed human lives to reach the critical point, one in which they can die at anytime. But their bodies betrayed them as it refused to let them awake and seek a warm shelter. Thankfully, the positions in which the five dragons landed allowed their wings to cover their freezing partners, giving them slight warmth. Astarot also held a wing protectively over his younger brother out of an over-protective instinct, and Shruikan laid a wing over the both of them, out of his fatherly instinct. It seems that they are doomed should they not receive help soon, all they can do now is dream of better times…and that is exactly what they all did. Except Shruikan, who was trapped in his mind…forced to relive that horrid day…the day he lost his rider, Akarli.

-X-X-X-X-X-

_(Shruikan's dream)_

_The large dragon could see himself flying high in the sky on a beautiful day. There were a few large, cotton-like clouds in the sky but they did not deter the large dragon from flying with his rider. Now, he could see himself and his rider flying near the shore, his heart pounded hard in his armored chest when he recognized the shore as being the one that he left his rider decades ago. It hurt him more when the image of himself and his rider passed over the shore, not even thinking of what could happen, and flew over the calm waters of the ocean._

This is amazing,_ the young Akarli said within the image of Shruikan's and the real one's head. _I have not seen this ocean for years, ever since my mother brought me over the waters back then from a land far away.

_The image of the great dragon slowed as he finally passed the shoreline and is now flying over the sea, using the natural wind to help propel him forward as the sun shined across his back and glittered all over the crystal clear water around him, showing its true brilliance._ Speaking of which, when are you going to tell me this story? I have longed to hear it for a while now,_ the great dragon asked._

_Akarli gave the back of the dragon's neck a long and perplexing stare,_ But I have already told you the story many times already.

Yes, but you have always told me the story while I was eating, how can I eat and listen at the same time?_ The great dragon asked with a smile forming on his scaly lips._

The same way that you eat and drool at the same time,_ Akarli said as she smirked._

_Shruikan's image let out a hearty draconic laugh as he did a barrel roll while Akarli hung on. The real Shruikan was shocked at how different his younger image's voice sounded. It sounded more juvenile, more confident with not a hint of fear in his voice. But now, the older, real Shruikan has a much older and wiser voice, one filled with determination yet anger at the world. It held sadness and fear of his past life after Akarli had fallen._

_The image of the dragon in his dream flew on, farther into the ocean at a lazy pace to enjoy the scenery and to enjoy the company of his rider upon his back. This gave him the opportunity to stretch out his wing muscles after being on the ground and doing nothing for so long. They did not really do much together because there was nothing that really needed to be done at all. There were no wars, no help was needed, and there were no duties that the pair had to do at all. They were currently northwest of the country of Alagaёsia. Akarli used to live with her mother and Shruikan in the small town of Hedarth that was situated between the Edda and the Ragni Rivers in the East. They decided to just travel together and be alone with each other, that's when Akarli brought up the fact that she had not seen the ocean in years, to which Shruikan replies,_ Well, what are we waiting for.

_It took a few weeks but eventually they did make it the ocean in the west of the country. The real Shruikan smiled at seeing his dream image enjoying spending time with his rider._

You know, Akarli _began as she looked upon the waters below_. I remember a song that my mother use to sing to me when I was but a child, it was a lullaby that she used to sing to me just to get me to sleep. When I asked her where she got it from, she said that it just came naturally to her as we were crossing this very sea right here. She said that there was a sudden storm that surrounded our ship; it was so bad that the waves reached over the ship! I had begun crying from the thunder and lightning and from the sickening motion of the boat. I was only a couple of months old at the time. It had such a beautiful melody to it, and the words just flowed like silk weaving across each other, turning into something beautiful.

_Shruikan was moved by the way she described the song._ Will you sing it?_ he asked._

Oh, heavens no, I don't have the voice,_ she answered. _But, I still remember all of the words and I hope to sing it to my children in the future. It has been years since the last time my mother sang it.

_Shruikan nodded, _What was it called? What was it about?

Oh you would have to hear it to know what it is about, as for what it is called, it was the _Land of Our Dreams__._ A fitting title for the occasion since we were heading to a new home after our old one was ravaged by...well…I don't know what happened. My mother would refuse to tell me, she only said that there was a great monster that was ruining the land.

_The great dragon puffed out his chest,_ Had I met this "monster" I would bring him down with one claw tied behind my back. No one and I mean no one is ever going to lay a finger or claw on you.

_Akarli smiled as she lied down upon her dragon's back, _Thanks Shruiky, I can always count on you, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I feel that I am in good hands…

…Claws, _Shruikan corrected with a smirk._ And for the record, you are the only one who is allowed to call me Shruiky. _He smiled._

_Akarli laughed. _I feel that I am in good _claws_ whenever I am with you, knowing that you will always be there to protect me, to push me forward…to catch me.

_The real Shruikan cringed when he heard the last three words. He remembered having this conversation with his rider all those years ago. However, back then, he did not realize that he would be put to the test…a test in which he failed. Now he shut his eyes, knowing what would happen next. Wondering why fate was so cruel as to force him to witness this again. But alas, his eyes were forced open by the cruel fate, forcing him to watch the next event take place._

_Unbeknownst to the image of Shruikan, he had flown out several miles past the shoreline over the ocean while Akarli lied down upon his back just enjoying the sun's warmth. That is, until she felt a slight wind which caused her to sit back up and look around. She looked to her right and noticed some dark clouds approaching them._ Erm, Shruikan? Perhaps we should turn around now, it seems as though a storm is approaching.

_The great dragon looked to the right as well upon the dark clouds and replied,_ Nonsense, those clouds will never reach us. If it does start to storm then I can just come back and land safe and sound._ But he didn't realize how far away from the shoreline he really was._

_The real Shruikan cursed himself of his own ignorance to his surroundings._ How could I be so stupid?_ he thought to himself. He looked on…_

_Akarli seemed a little skeptical but decided to let it be and she lied back down again and attempted to fell asleep. That was when Shruikan hit a little bit of turbulence._ Odd,_ the image thought as he looked back to the storm and noticed that it was coming closer, only about a mile away now,_ Perhaps…nah, we'll be okay.

Turn around,_ the real Shruikan thought._ Please, just turn around.

_But the image did not hear him as he flew on. He looked to his right again and noticed that it was now only a half mile away and now the wind is beginning to pick up, adding to the turbulence._ What the…,_ he thought._ There's no possible way that a storm can come that fast!

_The real Shruikan knew that there was, this was common nature of storms, especially during the spring. The winds aloft can easily push a storm quickly over land._

_The image figured that it was time that he turned around and he did, but by the time that he did the storm was already right on top of him. _Damn it,_ he thought as he began picking up his speed as the winds continued buffeting him around in the air and the rain began pounding at his back, awaking Akarli who noticed the storm and clung tightly to Sruikan's back as he raced back to the shoreline. It was very difficult for him to do so as he continuously used his tail for minute changes to keep him on a straight track for the shores and he would always flap his wings hard as the downdrafts pushed him down towards the ground. The rain was pounding at his face so hard that he had to close his eyes for a while to protect them and reopen them to make sure that he was heading in the right direction. Then suddenly a wind caught one of his wings which tilted him dangerously to the side and made Akarli lose her grip of his neck spikes and fall off. She screamed as she fell down towards the ocean. Shruikan immediately brought his wings closer to his body and made a nose dive down towards his rider, but he was too late for she plunged into the ocean._

No!_ the image thought when he saw her hit the water, but this did not stop him as he continued to drop until he, too, hit the water. Once he was under he held in his breath and immediately began looking for his rider…but it was too dark. Then suddenly, lightning filled the skies above him which gave him just enough light to see his rider to his left. He immediately used his tail to propel himself towards her quickly but he was beginning to lose air! _Come on,_ he said as he put on an extra burst of speed. _Come on. _He went faster when he noticed that he was almost out of air._ Just…a little…more…Yes!_ He caught her in his claws and he immediately began using his wings to flap to ascend through the water until he was on the surface. He took a big gulp of air and looked up to the stormy skies. Then he looked around him and to his surprise, he noticed a shoreline only a mile away. He knew that he was in no condition to fly now, he had to swim. He placed Akarli upon his back and then began swimming towards the shoreline while the rain continued to drench him. More than once he looked on his back to make sure that his rider was still there and had not fallen off. When he finally reached the shore, he placed Akarli on the sandy ground and began to inspect her._

Please, be alive,_ the real Shruikan said to himself._ Stay there; just stay with her…please.

_The image nudged her with his snout to awaken her, but she would not open her eyes. He placed his ear upon her chest to listen for a heartbeat and was dismayed when he heard nothing and immediately took his head off of her and shed a tear. But he removed it too quickly, for had he left it there a little longer, he would have heard a faint but visible heartbeat._

How,_ he thought._ How can I still be alive when my own rider…passed into…the void?_ He hung his head in shame, and then he picked it up and raised it to the rain-drenched heavens and let loose a massive roar and a flame to match his great sadness to honor his rider._ Why must the good die young?_ he asked himself. Then he thought,_ If my own rider has died but I am still alive then that must mean she, _he hung his head low,_ she destroyed the bond. I failed her…so she took me out of our bond…forever._ Then the reality of the situation hit him hard._ I…I killed my own rider,_ he noted._ I deceived her and threw her into the ocean, oh what have I done? _He backed away from his rider while shaking his head at the entirety of the situation. _No, no it can't be true…but it is._ He let a few more tears drop as he shook his head some more._ Good bye, my rider. I…am so sorry. I am not worthy of having such a great friend like you. I…I…, _but he said no more as he raised his wings and left his rider behind out of fear and confusion. But had he stayed just for a moment longer he would have heard his rider._

"_Shruikan…Shru…where are you?" she had asked softly as she moaned in pain. She fell back down to the ground. "I love you…"_

_The real Shruikan noticed this and felt his heart about to explode out of the extreme sadness. He was angry at himself for not staying with his rider like a true rider and dragon should be. Then he heard a voice in his head. _Save me, help me. _Then, he noticed people approaching her from the trees and they bent down around her. One man laid a hand down over her heart._

"_There is still a heartbeat, we can save her," he told the others and they nodded. He noticed her eyes opening slightly. "My name is Robert, sleep, we are taking you to our town in the country of Frostloral, just relax. We are going to help you."_

_But that was all Shruikan saw as everything around him began to change._ Save me, help me.

_Now, the scene changes. The shoreline was replaced by a forest. His image can be seen once again, walking between the trees with his head hung low._ What have I done,_ he said to himself with his eyes downcast. Then, he heard a twig snap behind him and he immediately turned around to see a man with tattered clothing and a rider's sword strapped to his belt. _Who are you?

"_I am but a weary traveler, seeking a companion to accompany me on an adventure. I have recently lost a great friend of mine, one that is irreplaceable. I am seeking a new friend to help me and gain revenge upon the evil world for hurting my friend. Will you, brave and valiant dragon, take me up on my offer to give you my companionship and to join me on this quest?" the man asked as he bowed before Shruikan._

_The real Shruikan shook his head. _Please, say no. You do not know what you are getting yourself into.

_The dragon considered this. He began thinking how, perhaps, it was not his fault for killing Akarli. That it was the world that killed her and took her away from him. He nodded his head. _Fine, but you have not answered my original question, who are you?

"_They call me Galbatorix."_

_Once again, the real Shruikan heard the phrase echo through his mind. _Save me, help me. Save me, help _them…_

Them? Who, who am I supposed to help?_ But the scene turned black, with only the phrase echoing through his head to remain._

-X-X-X-X-X-

The great dragon was the first to awaken after his horrible dream. He looked around and noticed that it stopped snowing. He suddenly felt a chill and looked at his back and saw snow piled on high on top of him. Then he looked under one of his wings and saw the two younger dragons that he was currently caring for and smiled when he noticed that Astarot placed a wing over his brother to prevent him from freezing to death. He stood up upon his feet and walked a little bit away from the group._ Where are we?_ he asked himself when he took a good look around. _And why did I have that dream? Who am I supposed to help?_ These questions continued to fly around in his head. When he took the next step, he heard a large crack. He looked down at his foot wondering what caused that noise. He lifted his foot up and sure enough, a large crack had formed there with water leaking from beneath the ice. _Water and ice?_ Shruikan asked himself. Then, he noticed that the crack suddenly grew as Shruikan placed his full weight in just the right spot. He followed where the crack was going and noticed that it was heading towards Astarot and Ehecatl. _Odd,_ he thought. _Wait a second,_ he looked around himself and noticed that all around him was a shoreline off in the distance. Then, he noticed an empty boat that was frozen into the ice, this only confirmed his suspicions. But he was too late.

Suddenly, the ice that was supporting Astarot and Ehecatl cracked and gave way, sending the two young dragons plunging beneath the ice. Shruikan's eyes opened wide and he began running towards them. Once he arrived at the hole in the ice he looked into the hole, searching for them. Nothing. Then, the phrase repeated in his head. _Help them…_

He did not stay to think and he immediately plunged into the freezing cold water but not before he took a huge gulp of air. He used his wings and tail to direct him in the direction that he wanted to go. _Where are they? Aha…there!_ And he immediately swam towards the two young dragons. Once he reached them, he grabbed them in his arms and raced towards the hole in the ice, but he was losing air again, but this time, he can't surface due to the ice above his head, nor can he breathe fire to make another hole in the ice since he was under water. Once he almost arrived at the hole, it was too late for he had no more air to give to his body and he was too weak to use his magic to help him survive…he was doomed. His eyes began clouding over when he began to gently sink beneath the hole. Before his eyes completely blackened, he noticed another dragon plunge into the icy waters and swim towards him. But this dragon…was white.

-X-X-X-X-X-

"Amelia, that is not how you properly hold the tea cup," the mother corrected her daughter. She was having another 'etiquette lesson' with her daughter. She was trying to shape her up into a proper young lady. The baby was asleep in a bed behind the mother.

Amelia cringed when she heard this. Through gritted teeth, she asked, "Then what _is_ the proper way to hold a tea cup, mother?" Her hand holding the cup began shaking as she said this, spilling some of the hot dark liquid inside. She placed it back on the table.

The mother sighed as she bent over the table to pour more tea into the cup, then, she placed the tea pot back in the center of the table. "You must hold the cup with your pinky finger pointing outwards, like so." She demonstrated this technique. "And why, my dear, are you wearing such atrocious attire to our little mother-daughter session? Where are the nice skirt and blouse that I bought you the other day?"

"In the back of the closet with the other stupid, frilly skirts and blouses," the teenage daughter replied. Then she looked at her clothing, she was wearing male's breeches with boots and a plain yellow shirt. "What is wrong with the clothing that I am wearing?"

"Why, it is dirty, rude, despicable, all-in-all it is _not_ something that a proper woman such as you should be wearing!" the mother exclaimed. "Excuse me for shouting."

"Shouting? You weren't shouting! You want to hear what shouting sounds like? This is shouting! Because I am sick and tired of you trying to turn me into a frilly girl. Has it ever come to your attention that perhaps I _like_ dressing like this? That I like who I am? Admit it; you are just ashamed to be seen around with a daughter like me!" Amelia shouted enough to wake the baby and cause him to start crying, but the mother stayed rooted to her spot, shocked at her daughter's outburst.

"Amelia, I am sorry for upsetting you, I understand…"

"You understand nothing!" the daughter interrupted. "You don't know who I am, the things I like!" She stopped for a moment to gather her thoughts. "As unusual as it may sound, yesterday was the closest I have ever been to you because you actually showed your love by hugging me which was very rare. Little things like that is all I need but you rarely hug me. Instead, you treat me like an outsider. I just want to talk with you about normal things like a true mother and daughter. It doesn't matter what we talk about…it could be about the weather, or," She thought of another topic. "Or maybe even your childhood. I want to hear what you were like when you were younger, you have never told me of it. I assumed that it is because you were ashamed of me. Please, if you really love me, you would tell me."

The mother said nothing. The daughter began shedding a few tears. "Please, tell me…"

But still, nothing came out of her mouth, only the words, "I…I can't." That was all the daughter needed for her to sit up from her chair and run from the table away from her mother. The mother looked down and cringed when she heard her daughter's bedroom door slam shut. "I can't, because even I don't know," the mother whispered. She sat up from the table and held her crying son in her arms, attempting to rock him to sleep. There was a knock at the door to which the mother answered, "Come in."

The door opened and in came a familiar man. "Oh Robert, what a surprise. What brings you hear?" she asked.

The tall man took off his brown hat and held it in his hand over his chest. "Hello Akarli, I just heard some shouting and was just wondering if you are alright," he answered.

"Yes, yes I am alright. It was just a disagreement with Amelia again. I just wish that there was some way for me to get closer to her like mother and daughter should be." She began thinking back to her conversation with her daughter. "Robert, she wanted to know about my past."

The man sat down on a chair in the room, "Well, did you remember anything of your past?"

"No, I still remember nothing. However, I _have_ been having dreams lately," she pondered.

The man perked up. "Having dreams is one way of recovering after a case of amnesia, what were your dreams about?"

The woman sat down next to Robert. "There…believe it or not, but I saw…dragons in my dream.

Robert cocked his head as he thought. "It…does make sense, slightly."

"What do you mean?"

"Akarli," Robert began. "When we first found you on that beach, you were wet, as if you have just taken a plunge into the ocean during the storm. Around your body I noticed…footprints. They were quite large and they immediately caught my attention while the others were tending to you. I looked closely at them and noticed that each footprint had four toes ending in a sharp point. I also noticed a line running between each footprint meaning that whatever creature made those had a tail. Also, there were loose scales surrounding your body as well."

Akarli fingered the object that was resting against her breast on a long golden chain that wrapped around her neck.

"Yes, Akarli. That scale on your necklace that I gave you for Christmas this past year was one of the black scales I saw. Hopefully, this should trigger something in your memory and if it does, tell me. I have to leave now, but tell me if anything should happen." He opened the door and placed his hat back on his head and stepped outside. "Good bye, madam." He closed the door and he left.

Akarli placed the baby back on the bed when he fell back asleep. She stood up and began walking around the room; she went to a window and looked out at the busy people walking along on the street, pretending that the events of the previous day had not happened. She fingered the single scale on her necklace again. "What could this dragon possibly have to do with me?" she asked herself. She looked at her right gloved hand and stared at the white glove, as if she can see right through it. She slowly pulled the glove off, knowing what she would find. When it was completely off and stared at the palm of her hand. There was a silver mark; she had shown it to Robert a long time ago, he quickly drew in a quick intake of breath. Then he told her to find something to cover it and never let anybody see her palm. She knew that he knew what the mark was, but he never told her. "Silly, imagine me…with such a large, dirty creature. Preposterous, impossible, unlikely. But still, what would a dragon be doing with a fragile little lady like me?"

The baby began crying again and the mother turned around and picked him up again to sooth him. "My big, strong, boy. Mommy loves you…I just hope that you would love me too. I wish that I can get close to my daughter, for as long as I can remember, we have always been separate, as if we had come from different worlds. Me from an unknown, fragile lady universe and her from one full of man's work and dirtiness," she laughed. Then she began thinking, she sat down on the bed with the baby in her arms, rocking him to put him back to sleep. However, he wouldn't sleep, he just stared at her with wide blue eyes, curious. The mother chuckled. "Oh dear, I don't suppose you want to sleep anymore, do you?" she asked. "Well, let us change that." Suddenly, she does not know where she got it from, but she began to sing a song that she believes she heard from the past, but where?

"_Slumber now my darling one.  
__Rest, for now the day is done.  
__Mother sings a lullaby;  
__"Hush, my darling do not cry."_

_May your sleep be as sweet be as sweet as the wind on the waves  
__Blowing gently t'ward far happier days.  
__May each breath be a promise to help you believe.  
__We're off to the land of our dreams.  
__We're off to the land of our dreams._

_Sail away, sail away to the arms of the greener lands.  
__Sail away, sail away to the land of the free.  
__Sail away, sail away to a home for my children._

_Calling to you.  
__Calling to me.  
__Calling to you and to me._

_Papa waits on a distant shore.  
__Soon we'll be with him once more.  
__Moonlight shines on oceans deep,  
__As the ship softly rocks you to sleep._

_May your sleep be as sweet be as sweet as the wind on the waves  
__Blowing gently t'ward far happier days.  
__May each breath be a promise to help you believe.  
__We're off to the land of our dreams.  
__We're off to the land of our dreams._

_Sail away, sail away to the arms of the greener lands.  
__Sail away, sail away to the land of the free.  
__Sail away, sail away to a home for my children._

_Calling to you.  
__Calling to me.  
__Calling to you and to me._

_Sail away, sail away to the arms of the greener lands.  
__Sail away, sail away to the land of the free.  
__Sail away, sail away to a home for my children._

_Calling to you.  
__Calling to me.  
__Calling to you…and to me…_

_Slumber now my darling one…  
__We're off to the land of our dreams…"_

When she finished this song, she looked down at her child and smiled when she saw that his eyes were closed. She stood up and placed him back on the bed. Then she sat down on the bed next to her child. "It is strange, but I think that my mother sang that to me when I was but a child…I believe that we were on a boat escaping something and trying to free ourselves. She wanted to give me a better life, I believe." She sighed, "But this isn't the land of our dreams anymore, is it?" she whispered.

* * *

By the way, the contest is still going on, the winner gets a preview of chapter six. See the bottom of the previous chapter for details. Just drop off the answer in a review. Good luck!

_Sincerely,_

_The Aviator_


	6. A Dragon's Revelation

So sorry that this chapter is late, and on top of that...IT'S SHORT! But on the upside, I believe I am improving my writing style! Please review and tell me what you think, I appreciate Constructive Criticism, reviews help me write faster! This is a reason as to why the update was so long, I hardly got any reviews so it just made me rethink how much of a writer I am. THANK YOU TO THOSE THAT DID REVIEW, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT! By the way, to every review I get, I will give each reviewer a preview of chapter 7, how's that for a bribe? lol

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle under any circumstances, the book was writte by Christopher Paolini and published by the KNOPF publiching company. This fanfic is a mere extension of my twisted but awesome imagination._

* * *

_No! _Shruikan screamed as he has awoken for the first time after he dove into the icy waters of the frozen lake to rescue Astarot and Ehecatl. When he looked around at his surroundings, he was confused. Instead of lying dead on the bottom of an icy lake, he was in what appeared to be a cave. Above him, stalactites hung menacingly from the roof of the cave while water droplets slithered down their conical structures towards the tip before falling towards the cave floor. He also noticed that Saphira and Thorn as well as his human and elvin companions were with him as well. He looked around for Astarot and Ehecatl until he felt a movement under his wing. He lifted it to find that the two brothers were resting against each other under his wing. In front of him, he noticed a small fire, giving the only source of light as it was still dark outside. When Shruikan looked towards the cave's entrance, he noticed that now there was a very gentle snowfall, some snowflakes found their way into the cave only to melt by the heat of the fire. _Where am I?_ Shuikan asked himself as he stared in amazement at the cave's majestic structure.

_You're in my home,_ someone answered.

Shruikan looked towards the cave's entrance again and noticed a large figure there in the shadows of the night. He couldn't see the complete figure so he couldn't tell who or what this person was, only the silhouette. _Who are you?_ he asked.

_That is not important right now, _the figure answered as he remained outside the cave in the snow._ What _is _important is that you must leave this country immediately. Leave and never come return until things have finally settled. You have too much to lose and hardly anything to gain_

Shruikan stood up and immediately winced when his right wing lightly tapped a stalagmite on the ground. He turned his head back towards his wing and noticed a strange gooey and sticky substance on it. Beneath it, he sensed that a bone is broken within the main arm where the wing's membrane is attached to, in this condition Shruikan cannot fly. But he did not care; he stared back at the mysterious figure at the cave's exit who backed up further into the darkness of the night when Shruikan took a step forward.

_Don't come near me, you are in no condition to be moving and my identity must not be revealed under any circumstances,_ the figure warned.

The large black dragon sighed, letting some smoke escape his flaring nostrils. _Look, you do not understand how much I have been through already just to come this far,_ he began. _I will not have a mysterious…I don't even know who or what you are but I am not about to let you stop me from finally achieving my mission._

The figure said nothing; he just stood there staring at the dragon in front of him. Shruikan stared back right at him to show what he is willing to do to accomplish his goal. The figure sighed after a few minutes. _Fine, I cannot force you to leave the boundaries of this land. But I must warn you that you do not fully comprehend the current conditions of this…_

_I don't care,_ Shruikan answered as he took another step forward. _The only thing that I care about is reuniting with my rider and bringing her back home to where she belongs._

_You must not go to Akarli right now, Shruikan, she is in no…_

_Wait a minute,_ Shruikan pondered. He glared at the figure and took another step forward. _How do you know that my rider's name is Akarli? How do you know what _my_ name is?_ the dragon asked. _Who the hell are you? Show yourself, come in here and show yourself right now!_

The figure seemed frightened. He backed up slightly, then he sighed. He seemed to be hesitating what his next action will be. Finally, after a few moments of thinking this through, he stepped forward into the light of the crackling fire and Shruikan gasped.

_No, it can't be,_ he whispered, startled. _Veltrose?_

The white scaled and black clawed dragon nodded, _Aye, it's been a long time, my friend…_

-X-X-X-X-X-

It was a very cold night and dark clouds were rolling in suggesting that perhaps a light to moderate snowfall is on its way. Crystila is a small town indeed, with only housing for perhaps one hundred residents. The architecture of the houses were simple, they were just log caverns. The smaller ones contained only one, multifunctional room with a stone fireplace to cook and keep the residents warm as well as a table. That was it; the residents would crowd around the fireplace and sleep on sheets on the ground. Sometimes, the simpler things are what these families treasure the most as they sleep together throughout the cold night. Crystila was situated within a valley of a mountain range. Beyond the western mountains was the ocean in which Akarli was rescued from. In a way, the town was well protected from invaders because of it being situated between large mountains. The only way in is via a long, twisty, dirt trail that winds its way between multiple mountains like a snake slithering between rocks. The only folks who knew about this trail were the residents yet they rarely used it because of its length and the dangers that hide within many turns.

The night was a cold one, above the town hung many stars, twinkling with the vast and mysterious expanse of the black night sky. The clouds were entering from over the western mountains, turning their peaks into snowy caps as they shrouded them.

Akarli just left her teenage daughter's room after checking up on her to make sure that she was safe and sound in her bed. She was the only one awake in the three-room log cabin now, probably the only restless soul awake in the whole town. And yet, she found it relaxing as she walked through the sleeping corridor separating the two bedrooms, one containing Amelia, the other consisting of an empty bed and a makeshift wooden crib housing the sleeping baby. She could not sleep yet, she did not know why. She opened the door leading to the cold outside wearing only a night gown that her deceased husband bought her on his many travels as a merchant. As she sat down on a rocking chair on the balcony on the house, she rocked contentedly, thinking about random happenings in the past, present, and even what the future may hold. She looked out onto the empty street beyond the safety parameters of her home, the only light illuminating the street emanated from the florescent and mysterious moon hanging in the vast veil of darkness sprinkled with glowing miniature orbs that were stars.

She pulled off her glove on her right hand, revealing the silver oval in the center of her palm. At her age, the mark was faded slightly but still proudly shown through. _But what is it?_ she asked herself. She shrugged and placed her hand on her lap, trying to forget about it and focus on the main issue, her daughter.

In reality, she did truly love her daughter, but that does not seem to be enough. She needs to understand her as well. _Which is probably the most difficult thing when you are raising a teenage daughter,_ she chuckled lightly. Then she sighed._ Why can't someone just give me a sign, help me, just throw something at me that will help me remember my past. Perhaps that is the key for me to become closer to my daughter. My husband was always the rustic and hard working kind of man, all men are! Perhaps she takes after her father, mostly._ She was not sure what to do anymore. _Perhaps the situation of the country is also changing her, maybe it is a negative influence on her mind, but what can I do? I am just a mere woman trying to live comfortably; there must be something that I can do, but what?_ She looked at her silver mark once again. _This must mean something, perhaps it is the key to something very important…Oh gods, what am I saying? I sound like a madwoman, I should try sleeping now. _

She got up from the rocking chair and entered her house, locked the front door tightly, and went to bed. She dreamt something of her past, actually, it was not a dream, but a memory, and a very important one at that. If only she would have remembered about her glove that she left on the balcony, for when she was sound asleep, her daughter came into the room to check on her and noticed the silver mark on her hand…

-X-X-X-X-X-

Back in the country of Alagaesia in the small town of Hedarth was another house. Hedarth was slightly large than Cristila and much more busier due to the sea traffic by merchant ships on the Edda and Ragni Rivers. They ran on both sides of the town which made the soil much more arable. In this town sat another log house. A woman by the name of Maria was sitting in the front of her house under the roof that stuck out far from the house making it a comfortable place to sit on a warm and sunny day. She was an elderly woman with wrinkles on her cheak and the skin slightly sagging on her neck. Her eyes were ice blue, seeming to have faded as the years came and went; however, her eyes also contained sadness if one were to look closely enough. She wore no makeup like other woman would and her hair was grey with age.

"Maria, are you okay?" another elderly woman next to her asked.

The woman snapped out of her thoughts and memories. "Oh, oh yes, I am terribly sorry…I was just…remembering things from my past," she chuckled. "I seem to be doing a lot of that these days."

"Odd," another woman on her other side noted, she was also an elderly woman. Maria was holding a knitting gathering. Ever since she lost her child decades ago as well as her husband, Maria became rather lonely. Once a week, she would invite her friends to come visit her so they can knit things together as well as drink some tea and eat cookies. "As you were reminiscing, you were looking straight forward, not at your quilt but rather _through_ it at the ground. As you were doing that you were still knitting without looking at your patchwork…almost like your hands had their own mind, Maria, are you sure that nothing is bothering you…?"

Maria looked at her, and then she looked at her quilt patch. She was right; it seemed that her subconscious was knitting for her. On her square, blue patch was a pattern that seemed to resemble the ocean and the sky; in the sky were clouds…as well as a strange, dark shape in the clouds. "That is odd, I didn't want to do that," she wondered. She looked up and noticed the other ladies looking at her, she cleared her throat. "Erm, perhaps I am not faring well, I must be tired or perhaps I am falling ill," she said to assure the others.

"Hmm, it _is_ getting late, Maria, perhaps you should go lie down and sleep, we can do this again next week…at my house." Another woman, Vertrude, answered. "I'll bake some lemmon cookies for the occasion, okay Maria?"

She nodded.

"That settles it then, it was nice to see you, Maria," she called as she began putting her needles and fabric in her bag. The other ladies did the same and they entered the streets to return to their homes. Maria waved good-bye and entered her house, bringing in her patch in materials inside with her. She placed her needles and other materials on her table and entered her bedroom with the patch. She pulled out a wooden bin from under her bed, opened the lid, and pulled out an unfinished quilt and laid it on her bed. All over the quilt were patches showing the ocean, the sky, forests, and grassy plains as well as flowery meadows. These were all of her daughter's favorite places that she would visit with her…_special_ friend. Maria looked closely at each quilt and noted that every single one held that same, mysterious, ominous, dark shape. It was almost like a bird, but Maria knew it was most definitely _not_ a bird. She chuckled as she imagined her daughter's friend clarify that for her in a mind with a _hmph_, or maybe even a silent growl.

She made quick work to attach this piece that she made today onto the quilt and placed it back into the box, but not before looking at one last patch, her _favorite_ patch. It showed a large sunset over a grassy plain, half of the beautiful orange sun was left over the horizon. The clouds on the sides of the sun were pink and directly in front of the sunset was that same dark figure, blocking part of the sun and creating a large and dominating shadow on the ground. Maria smiled as she laid her hand across the embroidered etchings of the patch, she then folded the quilt and placed it back into the wooden bin and slid it back under her bed. She blew out a candle on her nightstand that was the only source of light illuminating her room. However, once she blew it out, darkness did not surround her, instead, a faint and ominous blue light surrounded her.

"What in the world?" were her only words as she looked around her, slightly afraid. She looked around herself, trying to find the source of the light. She noticed that the glow was brighter around her bed. _No, not around it, under it,_ she thought to herself. She pulled out the wooden box once again, slightly smiling to herself as she imagined just what it may be, but she was still a bit apprehensive. "There is just no way, it's been so long, there is just no way…"

When she opened the bin she was instantly blinded by the light. When she quickly recovered, she threw the quilt upon her bed. She began sifting through the materials that were underneath the quilt. "Oh, I am never going to find it," she said. She then picked up the crate and flipped it over onto her floor. She threw the box onto her bed and began spreading the objects all over onto she found the source of the light.

"No, it can't be, it just cannot be," she held the object up to her face. It was a necklace. It had a golden chain and a shiny, blue jewel hanging from the chain, the jewel was the one creating the light. She looked at it unbelievingly. "No, impossible…my daughter…is alive…?

-X-X-X-X-X-

_Veltrose, it is not that I am unhappy to see,_ Shruikan began, shocked to see his old friend once again. _It's just, I have so many questions since we last parted many years ago._

The white dragon nodded and smirked. _Aye, knowing you, I figured that you would have many questions to throw at me._ Then, the dragon's smile turned into a disbelieving frown. _Unfortunately, I wish that I had better things to tell you._ He looked at the ground, as if he was ashamed to say what he is about to say next.

_What do you mean? _Shruikan asked as he shifted to become more comfortable on the rocky ground.

The white dragon looked at Shruikan's friends who were still unconscious, but alive. He then padded further into the cave on the other side of the fire facing Shruikan. He stared deeply into the brightest part of the fire, as if he was searching something deep within the gasses. _A lot has changed since we last met, my friend. Unfortunately, everything changed…for the worst._

Shruikan's ears swiveled atop his head, giving his full and undivided attention upon his old friend.

_I remember that you were always a fan of long stories,_ he began. _Well, be prepared for what is probably the longest stories you have ever heard._

_Decades ago, when we last met upon the death of my rider, I left in search of peace. I am sorry, but I just could not handle the war the befell us when Galbatorix killed off the remaining dragons and riders. I traveled long distances, across the forests and even the Hadaroc desert. At some points I flew without rest for multiple days at a time. I was just so distraught that I did not even notice how much my wings were hurting, well…not until I landed. When I landed, I stumbled upon this valley that is just outside my cave. Although you cannot see much now since it is dark outside but you will see it once you wake up anymore._

Veltrose shook his head. _I apologize for digressing. Anyway, when I arrived, the news of my arrival sparked much interest among the country. "A rider's dragon?" they asked. "We never had dragon riders in over a century!" My arrival spread like a wild fire across a forest. Everybody wanted to meet me. Even the King, may he rest in peace, sought out for me. He was very interested in dragons and had never seen one. Once he and I met, I found him interesting right away. He was strong, wise, skillful in battle, if I didn't know any better, I would have said that he was a dragon in a human's body. He was a very kind man. However, unfortunately, that was our first and last meeting. You see Shruikan, remember how many dragons were killed when Galbatorix took over._

The large black dragon nodded. _Yes, yes I remember._ He was pained at remembering such a depressing time in his homeland and what had happened to all of the dragons in Alagaesia.

_Well, it is true that he killed many dragons. But not all of them were brutally murdered. Some fled even their own riders! They knew that the dragon race was at stake and that it must be protected, so they fled. They were not cowards, they were smart. They knew what was at stake and that they were fighting a losing battle, they had no other choice, their children must be protected to continue the dragon race for, if you remember, King Galbatorix also ordered the killings of all hatchlings, even eggs! Where did they go? Well, after I fled, they followed me without my knowledge, thinking that perhaps there was a better place. They found it too; they found the country of Frostloral. It was a beautiful place. The dragons flourished for a time here once they settled. They mated, raised hatchlings, made friends with the residents, they seemed to further add to the natural beauty of Frostloral._

Veltrose then glared into the fire. _Then, _he_ came. _He spat out the word 'he' with much venom which confused Shruikan.

_Who came?_ Shruikan asked.

Veltrose looked up from the fire and stared at Shruikan. His eyes were full of hate and his teeth shown as he growled. _I cannot say his name. However, you must know that not all the dragons that arrived to Frostloral were kind and caring. There was one that blamed the war of the Empire upon the humans. He hated them so much that he sought to destroy them all. This dragon seemed to be nothing but pure evil and hatred. Shruikan, as disgusting as it is for me to say this, those he angered him further were instantly…_

Veltrose paused as if the next word would kill him if he were to say it. His eyes shut tightly, so tightly that Shruikan was afraid that they would soon explode. _Veltrose, what did he do?_

The white dragon then relaxed and opened his eyes and stared directly at Shruikan. _Shruikan, those that defy him are either enslaved, killed,…or eaten._

Shruikan was immediately alarmed. _What? _he shouted as he immediately stood to his feet. However, when he did, his wing bumped against the wall of the cave, hurting him. Veltrose waited for him to sit back on the ground. Once the black dragon settled back on the ground, he replied, _Eaten? A dragon eating a human is just so…preposterous, so un-dragonlike. How can a dragon just…eat a human?_

Veltrose, shook his head. _I know not. This…dragon, for lack of other words to call him, is just full of evil. He desired one thing and one thing only, to take over Frostloral, he was sickened by the dragons befriending the humans. He looked for some to support him, but none did which further infuriated him. He then decided that the only way to get them to listen to him was for him to become their ruler. So he killed the king and became the King of All. He took over everything, created new laws which downgraded as humans as mere servants to dragons. But the dragons would have none of it. The new king saw this and somehow conjured up the magic to bend their minds and force them to join his brigade. By then, everything became worst. Somehow he knows of everybody who defies him and order's his army to capture them and bring them to him at once. He would do cruel things with them. He then came up with a new punishment to force everybody to listen to him and behave. This is called the Banishment. He would throw his victims into a portal which would drop them into the Kodiak Mountains, the tallest mountain range in Frostloral. There, they would meet their doom._

Veltrose then looked at Astarot and Ehecatl who were slept up against each other. Astarot was lying his neck on top of Ehecatle's neck to make sure that nothing bad would happen to his little brother at all. _I knew their mother. She was a very beautiful dragoness. However, the king saw this as well, he wanted to be her mate, nay, he wanted to _force_ her to be her mate. But she declined. This infuriated him so he tried to bend her mind but she was mentally strong. This angered him even further so he banished her. She was dead the moment he sentenced her._

Shruikan bowed his head in sadness._ Then what am I to do with them? _he asked himself.

Veltrose smiled. He got up to his feet and walked toward the distressed dragon. He placed a wing on top of the dragon as a type of friendly embrace. _You would make a great father to them, _he noted.

Shruikan nodded. _Thank you, friend. I do not know how to repay you for helping us._

Veltrose smiled. _Think naught of it._

Shruikan lied down on his stomach and brought his neck to the ground, comfortably staring at the fire._ What now?_

_Now? Now we sleep, your companions should be awake by tomorrow. By then, hopefully we can find your rider._

_But how did you… _Shruikan began but Veltrose cut him off.

_Shruikan, you forget that I know you best of all people, I knew all along what you came here for, I know of everything that has happened to Alagaesia. Let's just rest and wait to see what tomorrow brings for us, _Veltrose answered as he padded back to the other side of the bonfire, curled up and fell asleep. Shruikan did the same…

-X-X-X-X-X-

In the center of the cold, snowy country of Frostloral was a single mountain. And on that mountain sat a very large castle, big enough to house several hundred dragons at once. In this part of the country, it was heavily raining. Flashes of lightning and claps of thunder danced in the sky over the castle. Within the center of the castle was a single room that was extremely large with very high ceilings, and in the center of that room was a mysterious figure shrouded in the darkness of the night for the torches that lined the wall did not reach him. In one corner of the room, a door opened with a very noise creak and in stepped a large muscular man. As he walked towards the figure, his boots created a heavy bang on the floor that echoed throughout the room. He stopped in front of the creature who stirred and growled heavily, but this did not deter the man.

"You better have a reason to disturb my rest," the mysterious, large figure boomed.

The man nodded and gathered up every ounce of bravery within him. He took a deep breath. "Yes, my lord. I do."

The creature moved his head and stared at him with two, piercing green eyes and growled again. He remained lying down upon the ground. "Well? What is it?" he shouted. As he spoke, the moonlight came through an opening in the roof and shined off of this monster's fanged teeth, causing them to appear even more deadly to the tiny, insignificant man in front of him, but he still showed no fear.

The man kept eye contact with this creature. "I have spotted several new dragons enter the country and they have been rescued by Veltrose, the rebel dragon," he answered. "Veltrose must have used some sort of new magic, for when he appeared next to the fallen dragons, he instantly…disappeared…"

The creature's curiosity was clearly shown as he shifted his massive form and curved his long neck into an S – shape. He looked down at the man. "Oh? New dragons? And Veltrose has rescued them by using new magic?" he thought. "Interesting. Anything else, my faithful servant?"

"Yes, there was a black dragon among the group, he seems to resemble the dragon that you constantly talked about, I believe his name was…Shruikan…"

The creature narrowed his eyes and growled. He dismissed the man with a flick of his tail as he stood and turned his back to the man and sat on his hunches. When he heard the door close, he smirked. "Ahh, so Shruikan has returned, has he? No doubt to look for his _loving_ rider." He looked up at the opening in the ceiling, staring straight at the moon. "Damn dragon riders, they make us dragons look so foolish by turning us into mindless beasts, forcing us to do their bidding. Perhaps I should lead Shruikan to my domain by taking his rider…but how? I do not know his rider or where she is." The beast began chuckling evilly, it sounded throaty, like large rocks falling down a mountain in an avalanche. "I don't know where his rider is…_yet…"_

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Wow, I told you that there will be a badass, lol. Please review folks if you want me to update more quickly!

Sincerely,

_The Aviator_


	7. To Find a Daughter

And here is Chapter Seven of _To Find a Rider. _This year is starting to get busier and busier in school so please be patient.

To stimulate my reader's to review, I have decided to bribe you all. ALL WHO REVIEW THIS CHAPTER WILL RECIEVE A PREVIEW OF CHAPTER EIGHT! How's that for a bribe? lol

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle under any circumstances, the book was writte by Christopher Paolini and published by the KNOPF publiching company. This fanfic is a mere extension of my twisted but awesome imagination. Please ask me if you wish to use one of my ideas (such as the Emora and the Rosetta maps) since I would LOVE to see how you use them!_

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It was the next morning in the small city of Hedarth in the large and free country of Alagaesia. It seemed like any other morning in a small town. The birds were chirping in the trees as they fed their young until their bellies were round and plump. The marketplace on the edge of town by the docks was crowded with merchants selling various merchandise, ships loading and offloading goods from towns far away, and eager buyers buying and bartering for supplies for their families back home. Yes, it did _seem_ like a normal day. However, it was not. For rushing out of her home and walking quickly down the dirt roads was a woman named Maria who was on a mission…her priceless necklace in hand. The blue glow that had emanated around the blue jewel on the golden chain the previous night had ceased illuminating hours ago. Maria had very little sleep last night as she continuously paced her room with the necklace in a tight fist.

_I hope that he is in his shop right now, he has to be. It is the morning on the weekend when all the ships come in. The captains should be in his shop to plan their next route,_ Maria thought as she walked towards the docks passed multiple personnel. Some would kindly wave at her and smile as well as say "Hello". But she took no notice to this as she hurriedly paced her aging but still healthy body towards her destination. Once she was on the docks, she could smell the fresh scent of the river east of her. Normally, she would relax and smell the fresh scent of the water and curiously look at the hustling activity on the docks as the ships were loaded and unloaded, but now she cared not. She walked alongside some buildings on her right, looking for the right one. They were all old buildings, symbolized by the gray and aging wood that they were constructed out of years ago, but they were still well kept by their owners. People would enter these buildings to buy groceries and other merchandise that had arrived on the ships, but that was not what Maria wanted to do today. She continued walking along side the buildings, passing each one until she came upon one with a rickety sign hanging in front over the doorway that creaked as the breeze swung it on its pole. _R & J Mapmakers_, the sign read. She entered this building.

Once she was inside, she looked curiously around at the old maps that were framed and placed on the walls around her of Alagaesia many years in the past. There was an old grandfather clock in one corner that continued to tick on its own power as its hammer and weights worked together, never missing a second. Maria walked forward to the counter that was just an old piece of wood running from one wall to the other, separating the public part of the shop from the private quarters of the shopkeeper. There was an old ships bell on one side of the counter hanging from the ceiling with a piece of paper on the rope that held it that read, _Please, ring bell for service._ She grabbed the rope that hung from the hammer in the bell and swung it, generating a loud but pure chime as the hammer slammed into the aging silver metal housing of the ship's bell. Once the ring stopped, she could hear someone moving in the back of the shop. Then she heard footsteps as an elderly man with white hair on his head that made him appear educated walked towards her.

"Maria," the man called as he stopped on the other side of the counter with a quizzical expression on his face. "What are you doing here?"

Maria held out her hand to show the man her necklace. "I would like to look at one of your old Rosetta maps, please. It is important."

The man furrowed his brow in confusion. He lifted the part of the counter that was hinged to the wall to let his friend through, as they walked to the back of the store, he questioned her. "So, why would you want to look at my Rosetta maps, and what in the world is that necklace, it _does_ look familiar but…"

"You should know what this necklace is, Maxwell," Maria commented. "This is an Emora. Does the name trigger anything in your memory?"

Maxwell thought hard as he walked between an aisle with shelves on both sides holding many different maps and some atlases that showed the Alagaesia of old and of other lands far, far away. Everything held on the shelves was covered in dust which is evident when the dust would become restless and enter the sky, following the wakes of the two people that had passed in front of them and then settling back down in a different location, staying there until the wind moves these miniscule particles once again.

The elderly man grabbed a book from a shelf randomly without even looking at the title or even in its general direction. Maria smirked, _He's been here for so long that he knows where each and everything is in this old building. He doesn't even have to look for anything, he can be blindfolded and still know exactly where a particular book is._ Maria chuckled lightly at the thought.

Maxwell then reached the back of the shop with his guest. There was a small space in which two chairs were placed as well as a small table between them with a flickering candle on it for the sunlight did little to illuminate this part of the shop. He sat down on one of the chairs and placed the book on his lap, opened it, and leafed through a few pages while at the same time politely gesturing his guest to take a seat as well.

"Ah, here we are," he stated as he laid a finger on the old tarnished page of the reference book. He slid his finger under each line as he read. "An Emora is a charm that can track a certain person's memory. It is highly accurate but not very effective since it can only track when…"

"…When said person is having the memory," Maria finished for him. "Such as when they are dreaming at night." Maxwell looked confusedly at her. "You could have just asked me what the Emora was, I could have easily told you. Basically, the charm will glow when the person who's memory is bestowed within it is thinking of that memory. When placed on a Rosetta map while the charm is glowing, it can reveal the location of the holder of the memory…but only with the right phrase, I don't know what the phrase is, unfortunately."

"Hmm, the phrase…" Maxwell repeated several times while looking at the page describing the Emora. "Aha! You just use the ancient language for the words 'Find this memory' which is _Finna __thornessa_ _manin._"

Maria sighed. "Despite knowing the phrase now, I still cannot find out where my daughter is. At least...not until she thinks of this memory again."

Maxwell stood up to place the book back onto the shelf with its old and dusty brethren. He then stood in front of Maria, bent down, and placed a hand on her knee as a sign of condolence. "Do not worry Maria. I am sure that she is still alive." He changed the subject once he removed his hand from her knee and carefully sat back down in his chair in front of his old friend to not disrupt his aging back. "In the meantime, why don't you tell me how you came across such a marvelous piece of a magical and historical artifact? I understand that the Emoras are extremely difficult to find which is why I am amazed as to how you have one in your possession."

Maria looked up at her friend's face and smiled, thankful that he was kind enough to politely change the conversation seeing as how she did not want to remember the fact that she still cannot find her daughter in the current circumstances. "My mother gave me this Emora. I am not sure as to how she got one. All I know is that before she died, she gave me her Emora. She told me that she had kept it and placed my most precious memory into the gem so she always knew where I was in case she had lost me. She then told me that, when I have my own daughter, I should place _her_ most precious memory in here so that I can always find her."

Maxwell looked on in curiosity at what his friend is revealing. He quickly excused himself and got up to go to the front of the store to turn the sign to _closed_ and to lock the door to make sure that he and his friend will not have any interruptions while she reveals her past to him. He sat back down, again careful of his aging back. He asked her a question.

"What is the memory that is inside the gem?"

"I know not," Maria answered. "I don't even know how this gem has the ability to change memories from mine to hers but…somehow it just…knows." She thought for a moment. "I am not sure as to how it can do this. But my mother's dr…" she stopped herself.

Maswell looked at her with an awkward espression. "What is it Maria?"

She looked nervous at her almost slip-up, but then she decided that it was okay to reveal this information to the man in front of him. _No_ _harm can come from it at all…right?_ She asked herself. She cleared her throat. "Well, Max. My mother, well…she was a dragon rider."

Maxwell was shocked. Then, once he thought, he finally made sense of it. "But what about you, were you ever a dragon rider?"

She chuckled, "No, of course not. I would not have made a good dragon rider at all." She continued with her story. "My mother's dragon was named Estrella. Her dragon and I got along very well for her being an entirely different species than I. I had always enjoyed her company and I loved listening to her many stories of the past and her wisdom and advice to me when I needed help." She smiled at the memories. "She would just stay on the front of the house stretching out her wings on the ground to soak up the sun, sometimes even tripping my mother and I with her tail."

Maxwell chuckled.

"Estrella once told me something important about the Emora." She fingered the gem that was hanging around her neck between her fingers. "She said to always keep it close to me at all times for I never know when to use it. She said that there was a deep secret within the Emora, a very important one but never revealed to me what it was." She sighed. "To this day, I still don't know what kind of secret this holds."

Maxwell nodded. "In due time, you should find out. The secret will only reveal itself in the most desperate of situations."

Maria gasped and looked at Maxwell with a sense of hope radiating in her eyes. "Maxwell, do you mean to tell me that you know what the secret is?"

Maxwell sighed. "All I know is that every Emora ever made has a different secret held within it. Each one very important. However, no one has ever revealed what their Emora's secret was. I honestly have no clue as to what it can be. But I am curious to know what it is."

Maria sighed. "I was hoping that the secret may help me find my daughter. I just cannot stand not knowing where she is any longer."

Maxwell got up. "You are welcome to stay here for the night. That way, should your daughter have the dream again, we will be able to track her immediately." He walked into a random aisle of shelves for a minute and came back out with a large map. He walked to a table and placed the map on top of it. Maria got up as well to look at the map. "This is a Rosetta map of Alagaesia. With this and the Emora, we will be able to find her very easily for the Rosetta maps contain a magical property making them perfect for tracking people with a tracking artifact."

Maria smiled and hugged Maxwell. "Thank you so much for helping me."

Maxwell hugged her back. He looked between the aisles to the front of his shop through the windows and chuckled. "I don't believe that you have a long wait ahead of you. It is already dark and your daughter must be asleep very soon if not right now at this moment. Soon she should be able to dream again about the memory and soon we shall find out where she is. Until then, let us sit down and converse for a little bit longer."

She agreed and they sat back down.

"So…I apologize for not remembering, but which one of your daughter's are you looking for?" Maxwell asked with a sheepish smile.

Maria smirked. "Maxwell, I only have but one daughter."

Maxwell laughed. "I spend way too much time in here memorizing every map, book, and everything in between that I forget about the much more important things in life like my friends. What is her name?"

"Akarli, she is very special to me. Not only because she is my only daughter but because of her…special friend."

"Oh?" Maxwell asked. "And just who is this special friend that makes her so special?"

"Oh Maxwell, you should know by now," Maria smiled. "Remember? She is a dragon rider. Her dragon's name is Shruikan."

Maxwell stopped laughing. "Shruikan? Was he not Galbatorix's…"

Maria frowned. "That is what I do not understand. Both her dragon and Galbatorix's dragon are both named Shruikan and they both have black scales…" she thought.

Maxwell nodded in affirmation. "Wait a second. Your daughter is missing and was presumed dead…"

Maria nodded. "But she wasn't because you just saw that she had the dream. So if she is not dead then…"

Maria's eyes widened in understanding of what Maxwell is talking about. "…Then why has she not come back?"

Maxwell stood up and stroked his shaggy white hair on his chin that formed a beard in thought. "Unless, she was either captured…"

"No," Maria said. "Shruikan would never allow that to happen. He loved Akarli too much to let her get captured."

"Or…" Maxwell remained in thought. "Or…she has forgotten everything from some sort of traumatizing experience…"

Maria gasped. "You mean to say, that my daughter may possibly have…amnesia?"

Maxwell nodded. "That is the only logical explanation I can think of that makes sense. But I am sure that she is alright, safe and sound. As long as she is safe and out of harm's way. Is that right, Maria?"

Maria slowly and unsurely nodded her head. "Yes, but if she has amnesia, then how can she remember this memory that is inside the crystal?" she asked.

He shrugged. "It is possible that after almost two decades, she is slowly starting to remember everything. But I wonder, where is Shruikan? Obviously he is not with his rider otherwise she would have remembered most things about her life, if not, everything."

"And why does Akarli's dragon share the same name as the horrid creature that once was the dragon of…" her eyes widened. "No, it couldn't be…"

Her friend stared at her wondering what kind of realization hit her. "Akarli lost her memory, her dragon was not with her, Galbatorix was killed but the body of his dragon was never found. Maxwell, don't you see?"

His eyes widened. "That damned king stole Akarli's dragon for his own personal use, turning him into some kind of puppet or even a slave, forcing him against his will to do his dirty work. Galbatorix…may he rot in the deepest pits of Hell for all eternity!"

Maria was almost in tears. She dug her head into her hands shaking her head from side to side. "I can't believe it. My daughter has been gone for so long and her dragon has been so close for so long. I should have known that she was alive by seeing Shruikan alive. I should have found her a long time ago!"

Maxwell was frightened to see his friend in hysterics. He once again kneeled down by her side to console her. "Maria, it's okay. Your daughter _is_ still alive. You _will_ see her once again in the future. I can promise you that. Please, do not cry Maria for everything shall be okay in the near future."

Maria stood and hugged Maxwell once again, looking for a shoulder to cry on. He patted her back softly to sooth her and rid her of her sadness. Her sobbing began to slow down but it still existed, unfortunately. He continued to sooth his old friend for a few moments in the empty and dusty little shop in the middle of night. He stared at the chair in which the Emora necklace was sitting on top of from when Maria dropped it and gasped.

"Maria…it…it's glowing. The Emora is actually glowing; she is having that memory again!"

She choked back a few sobs and released her hold of her friend. She turned around and faced the chair in which she had been sitting in before and emitted a gasp as well. "My daughter…"

"We must work quickly," Maxwell noted as he walked toward the Rosetta map that was sitting on the table next to the chairs.

Maria picked up the necklace in shaky and wrinkly fingers, nervous yet anxious to find out just where her daughter is located. She held it between her aging fingers as she slowly walked to where Maxwell was standing beside the map with careful steps. She was afraid of dropping the Emora onto the floor. She imagined the golden chain breaking within her grasp and the gem falling slowly to the floor. She saw herself trying to pick the gem up before it shattered onto the floor but saw it break into millions of unrecognizable pieces and seeing her hope and ability to find her daughter disappearing with the millions of pieces as they bounced all over the floor. She shuddered at the thought and held the glowing Emora closer to her heart with a tight grip. She felt the energy that it was emanating go through her heart and circulate throughout her entire body. Once she completed the small but life-changing journey to the table, she placed the Emora onto the extremely old map. She looked at the map and gasped. It was beautiful. It had some dust piling on top of it but nothing that a strong blow by Maxwell cannot dissipate. Once the dust was gone, Maria stared at it in amazement, not believing that a map can look like this. It had a gold trimming surrounding the boarder and had beautiful colors throughout the desert, the forests, and the bodies of water of Alagaesia. Over the compass on the right side of the map, east of the Alagaesian coast was a beautiful sunset while on the western coast, over the legend, was the crescent of the moon. This was a grand and extremely important piece of paper. No wonder Maxwell had framed this.

"Out of this whole entire whop, my Rosetta maps are the most valuable possessions that I own. I do not let any eyes stare at its immense beauty except my own, and those of my friend. Please, do not reveal to anybody that I hold these maps in my shop otherwise I am afraid that there may be some men who would more than gladly steal it," Maxwell pleased.

Maria shook her head in understanding. "Of course, Max. It is the least that I can do for all of your help today."

He nodded. "Now then, I believe that you know what to do. Just simply place the Emora over the compass of the map and clearly speak the words but with power. There should still be some magic traveling throughout your blood seeing as how you are the daughter of a dragon rider, you should have no problem."

She slid her Emora on the map over the vast desert and the eastern ocean until it was positioned directly in the center of the compass, seeming to _belong_ there. She then let go of it and cleared her throat. She took a few deep breaths before finally speaking the words, "_Finna __thornessa_ _manin."_ She said this with a powerful voice. Maxwell looked at the Emora, wanting to see what will happen.

The glowing gem flickered a few times. It began to spin over the compass, slowly at first, but then picking up in speed. Maria's eyes were closes as she focused on the magic deep within herself and within the aging papers of the magical Rosetta map. Maxwell stared closer and, amazed, noticed that the ocean waters around the compass actually had waves forming as if it had been created by the wind of the spinning Emora. The trees in the forests on the map swayed side to side, a dust storm has been created over the golden sands of the Hadaroc desert on the map. Even clouds seemed to have formed over the ocean near the Emora, swirling in a counter-clockwise pattern. Then, suddenly, the Emora shot off the map and the table, startling Maxwell. It seemed to be flying through the air and went through one of the shop's aisles, disappearing from view.

Maria opened her eyes after completing the taxing magical spell since she was not a full-fledged rider, only having learnt a little bit of magic from her mother. She stared confusingly at the map, looking for the Emora. She stared behind her and saw her friend walk through an aisle of the shop. She followed him.

"Maxwell?" she called. He did not say a word. She followed him into the aisle and saw him staring on the floor. She stood beside him and gasped. There, on the floor, was another Rosetta map, but it was not of Alagaesia. Instead, it showed another land unfamiliar to her. On the top, in an intricate font was the name _Frostloral_. The Emora was there, sitting on top of it and blinking its brilliant blue light at a fast pace as its point pointed at a very small village named, _Crystila._

-X-X-X-X-X-

The monstrous figure can be seen pacing around in his throne room, which by the way is not the proper word to name this room since it…well, it has no throne. The massive dragon would just sit down or sleep on the floor on top of his massive, rich, and luxurious carpet that sat on the cold stone floor.

The dragon was muttering words to himself in his head. _Where in the hell did Shruikan come from. Surely I should have slayed him years ago along with his entire family. He should not still be alive._ He stopped pacing the room. _Yet somehow he is. Did I miss one stupid dragon? Are there more dragons hiding within my country, the country that I have worked so hard to protect from the riders, the country that is the first to be ruled by a dragon?_ He sighed. _Surely, there must be some explanation._

The dark, massive creature stood into the light that shined onto the dark stone floor. The floor was illuminated from the windows that were high up near the ceiling as the full moon shined through._ There is no possible way that I could have missed a dragon, I could not have missed one. I made my dragons search high and low all over this land for dragons, so where did they appear from?_

The creature walked towards the wall, sucked in a massive amount of air into his cold, dark lungs. Then, he breathed out a small and steady stream of fire onto the two torches that were on the walls. Once they were alit, he stared at the object that was between them, a map of his country, Frostloral. He stared at it with narrowing, golden eyes. His look was so fierce that one may find it a surprise that the map did not wither from his intense gaze and kneel before him on the ground.

As the flame's light illuminated some of the creature's scales, some may find it a surprise that this creature was _not_ black, but rather silver. Long ago, his scales would beautifully radiate the light all around him. They would sparkle so much that during a light, misty rain, the sun would bounce from the surface of his scales and the water droplets that landed on his bulk and make a rainbow appear if one were to look closely. But alas, decades later, his scales have dulled for not seeing the light of the sun for an extremely long time. He rarely licked himself clean. He would not even hunt; he had his servants bring in live animals or…_criminals._ They would go in; the guards that would stand at attention outside of the throne room's door would become nauseous after hearing the screams of horror suddenly die. No one ever exited the throne room alive.

The silver dragon stared intently at the map, looking for any areas that he could have missed that Shruikan and his companions had stayed in for many decades, never revealing themselves. _Nothing, there is absolutely no possible way that they could have escaped my watch. Unless…_

The dragon turned his head to look at the space on the wall next to the map of Frostloral. _Unless, he has never been in my country._ He took in another deep breath and exhaled a small stream of fire that lit up another torch which illuminated a second map._ Of course, Shruikan had remained in Alagaesia, he never left like the other cowardly dragons. He became Galbatorix's slave when he left his rider. And if he has returned, that must mean that Galbatorix is dead and he has come to look for his rider to bond with her._ He became angry at this realization. He roared in fury and extended his massive paw and swiped his long, dirty and yellowed claws at the map of Alagaesia, shredding it. _If he ever finds his rider, he will become stronger and bring me down. Despite my power, I can never outmatch the power of a rider's dragon when they are bonded. I must not let them meet. I must get his rider. But I still do not know what his rider's name is. But I have already killed every single last rider in my country, how could his rider have hidden from me?_

The dragon contemplated on this puzzling conundrum for a bit as he walked back to his carpet in the center of the throne room, stepping on bones from his past meals and crushing them beneath his massive weight. "Guards!" he shouted.

The guards that were standing outside of his closed door opened it and walked in with shaky knees as they kneeled before the massive dragon that lazily stretched himself on his rug. They were humans and were always treated as something lower than dirt when confronting him. In exchange for the servitude, they receive their lives.

"I want you to find my Silver Hand," he ordered. The Silver Hand was his helper that had come into his throne room years ago, begging not to die, stating that he would do anything. The dragon had thought this out and decided to use him to report any information to him and to do some of his dirty work that his dragons could not do. He had become his best and most preferred servant. "Find my Silver Hand and tell him to search again for a dragon rider. There is an enemy in our mists." They kneeled again and then quickly left the room, closing the doors behind them and rushing around to complete their assignment.

The dragon chuckled, "Shruikan, my friend. You will not live to see your rider, I am king of this land and nothing escapes my watch. You will not defeat me, for it is I that shall defeat you and bring you down…"

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Please review my story! Remember: **_ALL WHO REVIEW WILL RECIEVE A PREVIEW OF CHAPTER EIGHT AS A "THANK YOU"! _**See you all in chapter 8, until next time...

Sincerely,

_The aviator_


	8. A Journey Paused

Hello everybody! It's been a while but I finally finished it! Here is chapter 8 of _To Find a Rider._ I hope you enjoy it. I decided to make this chapter center more around the relationship between Shruikan and Veltrose. No action in here, just some revelations including a rather HUGE and IMPORTANT revelation at the very end. Please review, guys! They really do make me write much faster. I would like to know what I can do to better my writing skills. Do I add more description? Focus more on the plot or on character development? Please, tell me.

**ALL THOSE WHO REVIEW WILL RECIEVE A PREVIEW OF THE NEXT CHAPTER (CHAPTER 9). SO PLEASE REVIEW!**

**I have posted a poll on my profile. Nothing major, I am just curious as to which one of my original characters in this story is your favorite. The character bios are in my profile as well.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle under any circumstances. The book was written by Christopher Paolini and published by the KNOPF publishing company. This fanfic is a mere extension of my twisted but awesome imagination. Please ask me if you wish to use one of my ideas (such as the Emora and the Rosetta maps) since I would LOVE to see how you use them!_

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It was the next morning in the home of Shruikan's old friend, Veltrose. The sun rose over the dark and mysterious peaks of the mountains surrounding the cave. It dissolved into the mysterious night and, with a beautiful array of pinks, reds, and oranges, turned night into a beautiful dawn and eventually to a full morning with not a star visible. However, the moon is still visible if one were to look closely, its crescent still there high in the heavens, taunting everyone to attempt to reach up and grab it. The sun's brilliant light and warmth radiated throughout the valley that Veltrose's home was located in, melting a small layer of the snow and allowing water to dislodge itself from the icicles hanging outside of the cave and slither down to a point and then drip to the thirsty ground.

Some of the morning light found its way inside of the cave and onto Shruikan's dark eyelids, disturbing his rest and waking him up since he was facing the opening. The massive dragon slowly opened his eyes and rose his head from his paws on which it rested on from the previous night. He blinked a few times to allow his amazing draconic eyesight to adjust to the brilliant light. He then stood onto his feet, his massive and aged joints creaking in annoyance on having to move after a restful slumber but nevertheless provided the dragon enough strength to carry his enormous bulk. He carefully removed one of his wings that was covering Astarot and Ehecatl during the cold night, protecting them from the wind that would come into the cave. He stared at what was left of the fire that burnt the previous night, providing warmth for the tired crowd. Only cinders and ashes remained having been blown out by the wind. He then stared at his partners who seemed to be conscious now, but asleep. He could sense their unguarded and tired minds dreaming. He then stared at his friend, Veltrose who was by himself on the other side of the smoldering embers of the fire, curled up and tightly holding his wings against himself to protect his body from the freezing cold of the cave. Shruikan noticed that, despite the sun, it was still cold. This was evident by his breath being visible in front of his flaring nostrils. The dragon carefully folded his injured wing that still had the medicine on it, compliments to Veltrose, and walked to the ledge outside of the cave. Once he arrived on the ledge, he gasped.

_Amazing, _he thought to himself. Above him, slightly northeast of him, he can see the sun casting its brilliant rays onto the valley below. He could see the lake in which he and his friends had crashed into and even noticed the hole in which Ehecatl and Astarot had fallen through. The large dragon shook his head, wanting to rid his mind of this terrible memory. He noticed how the sunlight sparkled over the smooth surface of the snow that covered the valley. It covered the ugliness of the bare land and, instead, gave it a sense of peace and serenity. It was difficult to imagine that a cruel tyrannical monster had jurisdiction over these beautiful lands. The dragon had always loved the snow and the way that it seemed to cover up the troubles and instead, fill everybody's hearts with a sense of wonder and inspiration. He remembered how, when he was young, he and his rider, his _truthful_ rider would play in the snow. She would throw snowballs at the massive dragon and laughed. As she would laugh, Shruikan would use his tail to gather a large amount of the brilliant white substance, fly above it and heave it into the air, then drop it when he was over his rider. He would laugh but then his rider would use her magic to throw an even bigger snowball at him, knocking him out of the sky and into the snow. This would then start a war between them which was stopped by Akarli's mother coming out and yelling at them to act mature for their age. Shruikan smiled at these memories, wanting to relive them.

_Beautiful, isn't it,_ a voice noted.

The dragon turned around to face his friend, Veltrose, who had recently woken up and had come outside to also admire the beauty around them. _Yes,_ Shruikan answered. _Yes it is._ He turned his head again as Veltrose padded beside Shruikan and stare at the scenery with him.

Veltrose noticed that Shruikan was moving his injured wing around in discomfort, trying to find a better position for it that would not cause him any pain. _You know, Shruikan,_ he began. The black dragon stared at him as he stared out into the valley again, avoiding his eye contact. _You must try to not move that wing for a few weeks, lest you shall make the damage worst and perhaps even permenant._

Shruikan nodded and kept his wing still. He stared at the strange and sticky medicine that Veltrose had applied onto it while he was unconscious the precious day. _What exactly is this?_ he asked curiously.

The other dragon stared at the medicine on his wing and then back out into the valley._ A mix between honey, water, tree sap, and crushed flower petals,_ he answered. He then smiledwhile still looking out into the open. _Many times have I used this special mix whenever I was injured because of my stupidity._ The dragon chuckled. _It helps to sooth your muscles while helping your body to grow new scales over the wound and repair whatever fracture in the bone may exist._

Once again, Shruikan nodded in understanding and turned his head to look back out into the valley. Then, he realized something and his eyes widened. _You mean to tell me that I have a fractured bone in my wing?_ he asked incredulously.

Veltrose nodded once.

_But that means,_ Shruikan instantly became upset. _That means that I can't fly._

Once again, Veltrose nodded._ Hell hath no fury like a dragon unable to fly,_ he commented. _Fortunately, you still can fly...but not for some time. However, I would refrain from flying since it could permanently hinder your ability to take to the skies. I would not fly for…_he thought carefully about this. _For about two weeks._

Shruikan sighed, letting his warm breath escape into the cold air around him. He looked back at his injured wing. It showed no sign of being broken or anything, but it would hurt whenever he slightly moved it. He trusted his friend's analysis.

_Fortunately,_ Veltrose spoke up once again as he continued to stare out into the valley, eyeing a buck that ran from the trees and by the edge of the icy lake. _The town in which you are heading for, Crystila, is only a day's travel from this point._ He pointed his muzzle to a small valley that branched off from the larger one in which Veltrose's home was located in._ That small trail in that smaller valley over there will take you straight into the village. It is the only way to enter the village from the ground, thus making it well protected from those who wish to cause harm._ The dragon continued staring at the buck by the lake and noticed it drinking from a small hole in the ice by the shore.

Shruikan eyed the small trail that his old friend had pointed out to him. _Thank you, my friend. You have aided us much since we have arrived. I am in your debt._

Veltrose nodded. He stared back at the buck that began looking around for some grass to dine on under the thick blanket of snow that had fallen the previous night. Finding none, it began to walk back towards the trees beyond the calm. _Perhaps I shall catch some breakfast for myself,_ he noted. He then looked at Shruikan's injured wing. _Shall I catch you some breakfast as well seeing as how you are unable to fly?_ he asked.

_Yes, please,_ Shruikan agreed. His friend took off towards the buck that was walking back to the clearing. _Curse this injury. How shall I get to my rider now?_ the dragon asked himself. _Fortunately my rider is not much farther away. Perhaps…_, he expanded his mind beyond the valley, searching for that familiar but forgotten mind that had been absent from its rightful location for many a year. He found nothing and sighed, emitting a thick cloud of smoke from his nostrils that dissipated into the cold winter air. He lied his great bulk on top of the ledge, relaxing his still hurting joints that had worked hard in getting the old dragon here, they seemed to sigh in relief of the weight being taken off of them. The dragon stared into the small valley that branched off in front of him. _Soon, my Akarli. Soon shall we be reunited, soon shall I protect you from the evils once again, soon shall I find your adventurous and wild spirit once again._ The dragon casted his gaze down towards his feet in shame. _And soon shall I rip you away from your life, where you must have found a family and may have children now. When I take you away from your home forever and take you back to Alagaesia after helping and saving this country from the evil tyrant._ He lied his head down and let a tear stroll out from his eye. _What have I done…?_

-X-X-X-X-X-

"Maria, no. I will not let you, it's too dangerous," Maxwell told her as he stood in front of her and crossed his arms as an emphasis that he will _not_ let her do anything.

Maria sighed. "Maxwell, please. I was looking for my daughter for a reason, so that I may see her once again. Please do not deprive me of my simple right as a mother-in-distress to search for my child. I have failed her before when I did not even think about looking for her, not knowing where to start. This time, I actually _know_ where to go," she attempted to convince. She also stood in front of Maxwell to show that she will not back down in the search for her daughter. I may know now that my daughter is safe, but that is not good enough. I need to physically see her with my own eyes, to be able to hug her again and to apologize for failing her in the past. It is my duty as a mother. So please, as my friend, all I ask is for you to tell me when the next merchants are leaving for Frostloral so that I may join them."

Maxwell looked into her eyes, not sure of what he should do. Had she been younger, he would help her in her search no problem. But now, at her older age, she seemed much more fragile. Yet he knew that she can be tough when the situation demands it since she had been raised by a dragon rider and his even given birth to one! But still, something in his mind is telling him not to let her go. He stared deeply into her azure eyes and noticed a tear slip down her beautifully smooth cheek. She may be older, but she still held that beauty and that charm from when she had been younger. He remembered how they had grown up together as best friends when they had been much younger. How much he had wanted her to be his but was too late when she married another man, one whom he despised ever so because he knew that he did not care for her. He knew that he was having an affair. Therefore he was glad when the damned un-loyal husband had died. He knew that he could have raised Akarli as his own as well and be a good father. But again, he waited, not knowing when to profess his love. He does not want to lose her now.

Maria shed another tear. And sat in the chair once more and began to think of her memories with her and her child…and Shruikan, of course.

_I know I must be making a grave mistake, I may be sending her to her death. But who am I to stop a mother from searching for her child?_ Maxwell went to his desk and opened a book that was neatly placed on a smaller book shelf behind his desk and quickly leafed through a couple of pages. "Two days' time at sunrise."

Maria looked up with a few tears on her cheek and stood up. "Wh…what?"

Maxwell walked up to her and used his thumb to wipe off a tear that threatened to fall from her cheek. "I said, the next merchant caravan leaving for Frostloral departs at sunrise in two days."

Maria looked incredulously at him, then…she smiled and hugged him. "Thank you…so much. I simply cannot express my gratitude."

Maxwell was shocked when he received her hug, but he returned it and rubbed her back to sooth her. "All you have to do…is return someday with your daughter. That is all." He continued to hug her and smiled, glad that she is not crying anymore.

Maria then broke the hug but continued smiling. "Of course, Maxwell. Of course." She then gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and dashed out of the shop to return home, the Emora grasped firmly in her hand close to her heart.

Maxwell watched her leave with an ache in his heart, as if he believed that this was the last time he would ever see her. _May the Gods watch over you and protect you…my love…_

-X-X-X-X-X-

The large, black scaled dragon was lying down on his stomach on the ledge outside of the cave in which his friends still rested in. His head was tucked into his belly while his wings wrapped tightly around him and thus keeping the massive creature warm as he thought of several memories he shared with his rider. The natural dragon fire within his heart helped to keep the dragon warm. He continued to blame himself for the disappearance of his rider and for not being strong enough to escape the clutches of the mad King sooner so that he may search for his rider earlier and be reunited with her by now.

The dragon's ears perked up and swiveled atop his head, locating the source of the sound of wing beats disrupting the quiet air around him. He looked up to see his friend, Veltrose returning with two bucks – one clutched in his claw and the other in his mouth. He landed with a thump and set the two bucks down, one in front of Shruikan. He then lied down next to his friend and began eating his buck.

_Sorry I took a while,_ Veltrose apologized. _But these things do not appreciate being snatched into the air out of the blue._ He took another bite out of his meal.

Shruikan lifted his head up, sniffed the buck, and then let his head fall to the ground once again, watching the landscape without even touching his meal. This action did not go unnoticed by the white-scaled dragon who stopped eating to look at his friend with concern etched on his muzzle.

_Are you okay Shruikan?_ he asked his friend.

The other dragon took a heavy intake of air and drew it out all at once, thus snorting black smoke into the cold air which dissipated above the two dragons. _Yes, Veltrose. I'm quite alright._ Yet he said this with such sadness that it worried his friend even more.

Veltrose shifted his massive bulk close to Shruikan and laid a wing on him to offer him some friendly support to help him talk. _You do not sound "quite alright" to me, Shruikan. It will behoove you if you discussed what is on your mind. I am always here to listen._

Shruikan shifted his bulk as well so that he faced his friend, but his head remained on the ground atop his forepaws. _Honestly, I do not know why I suddenly feel depressed._ He blew out another ring of smoke from his flaring nostrils as he sighed. _I should feel happy that I am near my rider, yet I am not. Instead, I feel…concerned. Worried, even. But I do not understand as to why I am in this mood._

The white scaled dragon looked up into the sky as the smoke dispersed and was carried off by the sharp, chilly wind towards the sun. he looked back down at Shruikan who looked downcast. _I think I know why…_

_Why?_ Shruikan asked, his interest perked as evident by him raising his head to stare at his old friend.

Veltrose smiled. _You are worried because you do not know how she will react towards your sudden appearance after decades of, well…your disappearance. Will she be angry that you left her? Upset that she may be seeing your apparition? Joyful that she finally found you? _He stared Shruikan deep into his eyes as if he were searching for the very soul of his old friend. _But you should just let the events play out the way that our ancestors have planned them. Stop asking yourself these questions and just live. You were meant to look for and succeed in finding your rider – that much I can tell you. Once you have finally found Akarli, give her a little time to get adjusted to you once again. I guarantee that things will work out in the end._

_You really think so?_ Shruikan asked. He then became hopeful once again.

_Of course. Age does not simply define how old one is, it also reveals how much experience that one has and how much wisdom they contain,_ Veltrose answered. He and Shruikan both stared out into the valley once again. They took in the natural beauty around them such as the frozen and crystallized lake, the evergreen trees covered in snow, the animals poking their heads out of their warm boroughs and leaving the safety of the trees to look for the grass that has been left uncovered to graze. Veltrose then noticed Shruikan staring at the valley that he must traverse soon to get to the village of his rider. He smiled. _Soon, Shruikan. Soon. Let your wing heal first and then you shall be reunited with her once again. Free to dominate the skies once more._ He looked down as if he was ashamed of something._ Although I would refrain from flying with her for awhile._

The black and massive dragon stared at him perplexed. _Why do you say that?_

Veltrose looked back at his valley. _Erm…let her get…reacquainted with you first. Remember, it has been years since you two last flew together. You would not want her falling off on her first day, do you?_

After hearing what his friend last said, the black dragon's head drooped as he stared at his feet ashamed. Veltrose immediately regretted saying that.

_Shruikan, that unfortunate accident took place decades ago. You must understand that it was not your fault. It was a cruel twist of fate and it was to inevitably happen anyway. Stop blaming yourself for actions that were not your fault. You were young and simply not fast enough to reach her in time before she plummeted into the ocean. You're older now, wiser, and stronger. This accident will not repeat itself again._ Veltrose stared at his friend again, attempting to lift his spirits up.

Shruikan smiled. _You always know exactly what to say to make me feel better. I thank you very much for everything. For saving us, for teaching me many things ever since we met each other all those years ago. And for being a loyal friend to me._

_There is no need to thank me, Shruikan. I was glad to have done so before my time comes._

Shruikan suddenly seemed alarmed. _What do you mean by that?_

The white dragon sighed. _Shruikan, I'm old. Much older than you as a matter of fact. In the past, I felt that I was ready to die because I felt that I served no other purpose in life._ He then smiled. _But then, fate decided to introduce us together all those decades ago. Your youth as well as your seemingly endless energy just made me feel younger._ He chuckled. _Although, sometimes, you made me lose a few of my scales._

Shruikan chuckled as well. _Had to keep you on the tip of your claws and ready for anything, Veltrose,_ he laughed.

_Yes, I suppose so,_ the white dragon answered. _Anyway, I felt that it was my purpose to teach you and your rider the tools of the trade. To get you ready for anything that life may decide to throw at you too. Good thing to since Galbatorix gained power and decided to recruit…,_ he scowled angrily here. His claws stretched out and created several groves in the rock beneath him out of anger. Clouds of smoke escaping his flaring nostrils.

Shruikan then looked at his friend with worry and understanding. _Do not worry. You do not need to discuss that part of your life. I understand._

The white dragon calmed down and relaxed his grip of the rock. _Well, at least he is finally rotting in the depths of Hell along with the so-called King. Anyway, I was glad that I had met you and was able to teach you all of those things. You have turned into a fine dragon, Shruikan. I am glad to have the ability to say that I taught you everything you know. Why, I even remember a time when you did not know how to fly!_ Veltrose laughed out loud.

Shruikan scowled. _But I was young back then, I couldn't fly yet,_ he said attempting to defend himself.

_My friend,_ he said. _You were two years old when I met you! I honestly do not know how your rider was able to put up with you._ He stopped laughing but continued smiling with a twinkle of mischievous in his large eyes.

_I was…,_ Shruikan began, but he found it hard to get his words out. _I was…afraid._ He hung is head once again.

Veltrose looked at him, now with a glimmer of pride clearly evident in his eyes. _Ahh, but look at you know. You have grown and have become an excellent flyer throughout the years. I would not be surprised if you are faster than I and if you have a stronger endurance and can fly longer distances at a time. I have said this before and I will say this again, I am proud to have been your teacher._

Shruikan smiled. _And I am glad to have been your student._

The white dragon's eyes opened in surprise and he stared at Shruikan. _Thank you, that…that honestly means so much to me._ Veltrose placed a wing once again over Shruikan as a kind of draconic hug.

_I have been meaning to ask you something for awhile now. May I?_ Shruikan asked.

_Of course. Please, ask away. _Veltrose shifted slightly to become comfortable.

_I have noticed that, ever since I met you, you always seem to be excited to fly. Like just before, when you went to get the food, you seemed like you were just itching to fly. Why is that?_

Veltrose's eyes opened wide in wonder and excitement. _My friend, flying, to me, is such an exciting experience. I absolutely love to fly. All dragons have this urge within them to just stretch their wings and to fly. The gift of flight is not just a simple means for getting from place to place; it is the way of life of us dragons. As a matter of fact, flight seems to be the very definition of us dragons because flight symbolizes freedom and dragons, at one point, were carefree creatures. When we dragons teamed up with riders, we were ecstatic to be able to share the enjoyment of flight with someone else! A dragon that cannot fly would not feel like a dragon at all. I just seem to magnify the dragon's enjoyment in flight._ He then looked Shruikan up and down. _I believe I have passed off my love of flying to you._

Shruikan smirked. _Most likely. _Then he frowned. _That is why I am a little upset that I cannot fly for a while. I feel slightly…cramped…_

_That is understandable. You are a dragon that has been grounded temporarily. Due to your love of flight, it is understandable that you should feel that way._

_At least I'll be able to fly soon and find my rider once again._ He looked back out into Veltrose's valley and asked another question. _What made you decide to move here?_

Veltrose had to gather his thoughts first to answer Shruikan's question._ Well, after the death of…you know…_

Shruikan nodded.

_I was driven here. I guess I just felt that it was hopeless. I felt that there is no possible way that Alagaesia would be returned back to its original state. I flew for a long period of time. Then, one day, I stopped at that very lake in the summer for a drink since I had been flying for many hours that day. I was struck by the immense beauty around me and, as strange as it may sound, I felt that I was meant to stay here. I found this cave on the first day and slept here. In the morning, I heard a crash. I got up and noticed that there were humans cutting trees down in the forest to build a new settlement. I would have none of it and I quickly scared some of them off. But others held their ground. That was when I took a good look at the people. They were Alagaesians. There were newlywed couples in which the men wanted to provide a safer place for their wives, children that just wanted a safe place to grow up. Elderly couples that wanted some peace in their lives before they passed away. They escaped the troubles of Alagaesia to seek a safer place to live, that was all. I told them to wait there and I flew. Eventually, I found that valley over there in which a river cut through. I noticed that at the end, there seemed to be flat land encircled by mountains, the only way to enter would be through the valley. I told them of this and made an agreement, if they settled there, I would agree to remain here at the entrance to protect them. I felt it my duty to do so. And here I am today._

Shruikan was amazed. _That is quite a tale. So you are their protector?_ he asked.

Veltrose nodded. _From now until the end of my days. I made a promise and I intend to keep it._

Shruikan smiled. _Always had to be the odd dragon searching for a purpose in life, right?_

The white dragon chuckled. _What can I say? I love to help people. That is why I wanted to train you and why I agreed to protect the village in which your rider now resides in._

Shruikan suddenly found a new reason to respect and be proud of his friend. Once again, both dragons looked out into the valley at the beauty as the sun began to set after a full day of catching up on old times with his friend. A few stray snowflakes lazily descended from the heavens above. The trees swayed as if they were conversing with each other, their leaves singing as they rustled amongst each other. The wind began to blow a little harder, it was as if night was announcing its arrival.

_Your friends should be up by the latest tomorrow morning,_ Veltrose suddenly stated.

Shruikan nodded. _Soon, I'll be on the move again. I will find my rider if it is the last think I do,_ he thought to himself. Then, he said something that surprised Veltrose, _I want to help._

_Help with what?_ Veltrose asked, he seemed to be dreading the answer.

_I want to rid the land of the evil so that I can live here with my rider. I don't want to bring her back to Alagaesia, her children, if she has any, grew up here and I think that it would be best if they stayed here. The only way that can happen is if I rid the land of the evil. I believe that my friends would want to do the same thing. Eragon and his cousin and everyone else helped rid Alagaesia of Galbatorix, I believe that we can do it again, _he answered.

Veltrose suddenly looked solemnly at Shruikan. At first, he was silent as he took what Shruikan said to mind. Then, he spoke. _My friend, there is something that I have been neglecting to tell you but I believe you have the right to know._

_What is it? _the black dragon asked.

_The evil dragon that rules this land, his name is…,_ he paused, dreading to tell Shruikan this. _His name is Fraener._

Shruikan froze at the name. He staredat his friend seriously. _Please, tell me that I heard you wrong…_

_I wish I could, but that is the truth,_ Veltrose looked at Shruikan sadly. _Yes, Shruikan. the evil drag__on that controls this land is your nest-mate or as the humans would say…your brother…_

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**PLEASE REVIEW! And do not forget about my poll in my profile!**

Sincerely,

_The Aviator_


	9. Awakenings & Something Blossoming

Oh my God, I'M NOT DEAD! lol After a long seven-month absence, I have returned! It is now Summer Vacation and AP Exams are finally over and now I have a _lot_ more time on my hands. Did ya miss me? =D

I would like to thank everybody for their kind reviews and would like to give out a special thanks to _VampireDragonKills _for kindly pointing out all of my flaws. Thank you SO much! I tried to incorporate your suggestions into this chapter. Hope it's better!

**ALL REVIEWERS WILL RECEIVE A PREVIEW OF CHAPTER TEN! However, please allow time for me to write it first.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle under any circumstances, the book was written by Christopher Paolini and published by the KNOPF Publishing Company. This fanfic is a mere extension of my twisted but awesome imagination. I only own the plot and my original characters._

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Night. Dark…ominous…night. At least, that's what it seemed like to Shruikan as he lied down on the ground next to the small, diminishing campfire in the cave of his old friend and mentor, Veltrose. The large black mass shifted slightly as the flames from the fire danced before his eyes as he attempted to fall back asleep. He carefully laid his injured wing flat on the ground while placing his other ebony wing over Astarot and Ehecatl as the two brothers slept easily. He could tell that they were sleeping now since he felt them shift to become more comfortable.

_Brothers,_ Shruikan thought as he looked down at the two smaller dragons. _It's odd. It really is. You give everything to your brother – help teach him how to fly, to hunt, to fish – and then he turns around and takes over a whole country and makes everybody his slaves._ He lightly growled…not too loudly, lest he run the risk of waking up his friends. He stared deep into the flames as if he was trying to find an answer to a difficult predicament. Deep into the twisting flames. Occasionally, a slight wind would blow into the cave and tease the flames by making them shrink in surprise. But then they would grow and show its dominance in how it would not fall to a simple wind.

_Why in the world would Fraener turn around and do something as preposterous as this?_ the dragon questioned. _He is my brother. I was there to watch him when he first hatched out of that egg and was born a wild dragon. I was there when he took his first steps and helped nudge him in the right direction. He looked up to me in the way that I looked up to my father. We were truly brothers and would remain that way…even in the afterlife. Was it me that changed him? Did I not spend enough time with him? Have I done something wrong?_ he mused.

The massive creature took in a large breath and heaved a massive, yet quiet, sigh. He watched as the smoke from his nostrils twirled in the air in front of his face as if it was not sure which way to go. _Just like me. Where do I go from here? Surely I can't kill him. I promised myself to protect him._ His smoke eventually intertwined with the twirls of smoke emanating from the fire itself. Together, the new and larger smoke cloud floated lazily out towards the opening of the cave where they then ascended into the cold and cloudy skies. Like a brother carrying his sibling to safety.

_Should I still keep my promise and protect him? There must be some reason as to why he has done this. Maybe I spent too much time with my rider and not enough with my blood relative._ Shruikan lowered his head to his large paws after making sure his two charges were tucked safely under wing and were protected from the cold. _Maybe I should continue to protect him._ He then closed his eyes. _But how do you protect…a monster?_

And with that final thought, he joined the others in a restless sleep that was calmed when he thought of the older and kinder days. Back when the world was kind and everyone treated each other as brothers and looked out for one another because, well…that is what brothers do…

-X-X-X-X-X-

The night later blended into breaking dawn as the sun began creeping up over the horizon. The sky turned into brilliant hues of pinks, oranges, reds, and then finally settling in on blue. A few puffs of clouds lazily floated across the sky as a soft, gently breeze entered the cave which is inhabited by the dragons and their companions. The fire that was keeping everybody warm the previous night is now just a pile of ash and burnt wood. The breeze effortlessly traveled over them and then caressed the ruby red dragon's ear. It twitched as it was tickled by the wind. This woke Thorn up. He picked his head up off of his forepaws in which he laid it upon as he slept. He looked around at his surroundings curiously.

_What is this place?_ He mused to himself for he does not remember falling asleep in this cave...or any other cave. _Actually, I don't recall falling asleep, period._

Thorn was about to stand up upon his feet when he suddenly felt something nudge his side slightly. At that point is when he felt a comforting warmth on his side as well as his wing wrapping around some hidden object. The ruby-red dragon attempted to fold his wing back against his scaly hide when he noticed that it seemed his wingtip was held in place by something as it curled around the object. Annoyed, he bent his long neck down to stare at the annoyance underneath his wing before he removes the leathery appendage so that he may assess the odd circumstance he has found himself in...and what an odd circumstance it was. _Sa…Saphira? Oh Gods, no…_

The dragon began shivering slightly. Similar thoughts of, _She is going to kill me if she finds out,_ and others constantly swam around in his head but he could not remove his wing so that he would be able to move to the other side of the cave and hope that she does not find out. He was so occupied by the situation beneath his wing that he did not notice the other large dragon figure walk towards him and then sit down in front of him whilst Thorn continued worrying.

_How do you do?_ he greeted as he smirked when he noticed the small predicament that the younger one was in. Thorn immediately shifted his gaze towards him wondering who in the world this dragon was. A friend? A foe? _I see that you seem to have found yourself in a rather…interesting situation,_ Veltrose noted.

Finally finding his voice, Thorn was able to ask, _Who are you?_

_My name is Veltrose and I am the one that brought in all of you after your crash landing upon the frozen lake just outside._ The white-scaled dragon paused here as he made a thought, _A rather sickening landing, I must say. I heard you and your companions traversing overhead and watched you fly lower and lower until the treetops were able to tickle your stomachs…then I watched you all flip over and roll down the mountain side while smashing into trees, rolling over boulders, and bumping into each other._ He cringed, _It seemed to have hurt a lot._

After getting over his shock of meeting another dragon, Thorn decided that he was no threat and was safe to talk to. _Believe me, it hurt a lot more when you experience the pain in person… _

Veltrose nodded. _Well, at least you are all okay. A few cracked and chipped scales (most likely from the impact), a lost tooth (but those grow back quickly), _Veltrose listed off from the top of his head. _At_ _least your human friends are perfectly alright, thanks to you dragons_.The old dragon looked upon Thorn once again...and upon Saphira's body that is still beneath his wing and smiled. _Ahh, now doesn't that bring back pleasant memories..._

The young one looked beneath his wing once again and gasped once his mind was brought right back into the situation that he was in. _It may bring you pleasant memories…but believe me when I say that it is going to bring me into a world of pain once Saphira finds out what I have done to her. She is _not_ one for cuddling with her enemy._

_Oh?_ Veltrose asked. _You mean to say that you two are not together?_

Thorn snorted at the idea. _Together? Mentally as a couple? No. But being able to physically touch, on the other claw...,_ he glared down (and not for the last time, mind you) at the odd little situation that would certainly get him a smack on the snout from her tail. _Or a nip on my own tail from her sharp, beautifully white and never stained teeth. How _does _she do that._ He gasped at his thoughts and looked back at Veltrose who smirked.

_I heard that. "Beautiful white teeth," eh? Not exactly something that an enemy would say,_ he smirked again. Then his expression turned into a kind smile once again. _I know of your past under Galbatorix's control in which you were forced to hurt others and do things that you originally thought you would never do,_ he stated. _I know that more than once you were forced to hurt her and I know that it hurt a lot more because of the feelings you had (or should I say _have_) for her._

The red-scaled dragon gazed suspiciously upon Veltrose. _And how, if I may ask, did you come upon this private information?_

The old one gave a dragon equivalent of a shrug. _Of course I had to mentally search your minds. I'm not going to let some suspicious dragons and humans that may be seeking to cause me harm take refuge in my cave until I know for sure that you are not here for evil intentions. But that is not important right now. What _is_ important is getting you two together because I am absolutely sure that somewhere beneath your tough exterior and your thick skull…is a burning passion for the dragoness beneath your wing._

The young dragon looked down as Saphira slept beneath his wing. He looked closer at her and was shocked when he noticed that the sapphire dragon actually had a smile upon her snout. He smiled a bit himself as he felt his heart flutter a bit. Then, he frowned. _She would never love me,_ he whispered.

Veltrose lightly growled at Thorn and smacked him on his nose with his tail.

_Ow! _Thorn winced as he brought up a paw to rub his snout. _I thought you said that you're a friend!_

_I did,_ he answered. _Which is why I am trying to help you. I have been alive for a very long time. I knew Shruikan when he was younger and actually taught him what it means to be a dragon far before Galbatorix took control over him. My friend, I am old enough to be your sire's sire! _He softened his intense gaze as he seemed to quickly look back at his memories and cherished them for a moment before he continued speaking. _I have the experience and understand what you are feeling and your thoughts. But think with your heart, not your mind. You may have hurt her against your will in your past, now show her that it was not your fault and that you are actually a completely different type of dragon. Show her who you really are. Show her that you are a kind and caring soul. Then, in time, she will begin to return your love. _He smiled once again as he looked out to the cave's entrance as a ray of light entered the cave warming his scales. _In time, you will realize that life without love…is hardly worth living… _

The white dragon then had a far-away look, once again looking at his past but at a different memory. One that he definitely wants to return to but knows that he will never be able to do so. He sighed, missing her touch, the feel of her warm side against his own, her body safe and sound beneath his wing as they slept under the stars, the hatchlings that they raised together. He smiled a loving smile as he looked upon Thorn who stared at him with a thinking expression.

_Who exactly are you?_ he once again questioned. _Your voice sounds very familiar…as if I knew you from somewhere in my past. Are…_, he paused. He contemplated whether it would be wise to ask the familiar dragon in front of him this particular question. After believing that it is a okay to do so, he continued. _Are you my…father?_

Veltrose chuckled. _No, I am much too old to be your father._ He cast his gaze upon the young dragon in front of him. _But I knew him. And I must say, you seem to take after your father so much. You look like him, you act like him and, most importantly, you _think_ like him._

Now, the red dragon was interested in what this odd white-scaled dragon is saying. He just could not believe that he had met his own father! This brought up another perplexing thought. _So…you're not my father. Yet, you knew him. Just who exactly are you and how do you know of my father?_

_Ahh, that question will be answered at a later time when I deem it proper to do so. But I can tell you a bit of my past. At one point, I actually carried your egg..._

_To the Varden?_ Thorn interrupted, confused.

_Erm, no, _he answered, ashamed. He turned his head towards the pile of charred wood that had been burning the previous night and blew a steady stream of fire towards it, lighting the wood up once again. _Perhaps I should wait until your friends wake up until I tell you._ He looked towards the humans. _They may be a bit cold when they awaken seeing as how they do not have scales. I'll go and get some wood for the fire._ He stood up onto his feet and lightly chuckled as his legs cracked. _The trouble of old age is that sometimes, your body just wants to protest every action that you wish to do. Never grow old, Thorn, it just brings in pain._ He chuckled even more as he walked towards the entrance of the cave and took off into the brisk, chilly air of the valley. He did a quick barrel role before rocketing towards the forest below. His flying skills alone, despite his age, was enough to amaze Thorn and make this new dragon even more interesting.

-X-X-X-X-X-

If one were to travel through the smaller valley that branched off from the larger one in which Veltrose resides in, that person would discover a small (but cozy) village. Children were often found by the pond that is on the eastern side of the village, or by the woods; daring each other to go into the thick blanket of large trees. Surrounding the village were beautiful, tall evergreen trees reaching towards the sky and dancing amongst one another when the music of the wind was heard. This was the village of Crystila. This is the home of Akarli and her daughter, Amelia, as well as her small baby. This was also the home of a small number of people. However, the villagers never complained about the small population. It allows them to become very close to one another up to the point were everybody is on a first name basis. This explains the fact why Amelia is walking down the dusty street towards the blacksmith's shop and was constantly receiving greetings from the locals. She smiled at each one of them and waved back.

_Ahh, it is such a beautiful day today, _she thought to herself as she looked around and felt that chilly breeze brush up against her cheeks. She especially liked it when it snowed because it brings out the true beauty of the environment around her. _Perhaps later today, I can go ice-skating with my friends at the pond,_ she contemplated. She would just have to remember to get a loaf of bread from the bakery before gets home for her mother. She sighed at the thought of her mother. In truth, she really did love her. _It's just sometimes, I feel that she is hiding something from me...like that odd scar she has on the palm of her hand. I never saw that before. Then again, it is probably because she always wears those damn gloves. _She smirked when she remembered how her mother would always tell her to never use those "terribly atrocious words." _Fat chance of that happening. _Her thoughts then returned to that scar that her mother has. _Is it me, or does that odd scar seem to have a meaning? I'll have to ask Elidor about it, he seems to be a very smart guy...and incredibly handsome._ Her heart fluttered as she thought about him.

Elidor is another boy in the village that also works at the blacksmith since he is the smith's son. He is a few months older than Amelia and has _hair the color of a raven's feathers. Eyes as icy clue as the pond when it is surrounded by a snowy shore, _she sighed as she pictured him smiling within her head. Once she was realizing what she was doing, she shook her head. _What am I doing? I'm acting as if I was one of those girls that always follows Elidor around and faun over his muscles. I don't want to act like those weak, girly girls that chases after every guy that is in existence. _She frowns when she finally enters the blacksmith's shop and notices girls doing just that at the window watching said boy placing wood into the fire to get ready to melt metal. She rolls her eyes at the girls as she closed the window and opened another one up at the back of the shop to invite the nice breeze inside the hot building. She then goes to pick up an apron from the corner and joins Elidor.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up," Elidor smiles as he drops the wood into the fire.

"Just overslept a bit, sorry. Didn't know that you would miss me that much. I thought you would be able to handle the extra work," she smirks while Elidor chuckled at her making fun of him.

"Oh, you know I'd miss you," he smiled as he turned towards the wall to get a hammer and other necessary tools and placed them on a table to prepare for the workday.

On the outside, Amelia was smiling kindly but on the inside, her heart felt like it wanted to jump out at his words. She went to a barrel of old recycled horseshoes and placed them in the fire to begin melting them. "So, what do we have today?" she asked referring to the amount of work.

Elidor turned around and seemed to be racking his brain for the needed information. "Hmm, not much. We have two horses that need new shoes…that's it unless some new work comes up. But it's a slow week so I doubt that any would come up. We should be able to leave early today."

She inwardly screamed when she found that out. Leaving early would mean spending more time with her mother at home and possibly getting into another argument. On the outside, she just sighed. Elidor noticed this and became concerned.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's my mother, we had another fight." She sat down on a stool that she pulled over as she waited for the metal to be ready to be able to bend. Again, she sighed. "It seems that she just can't understand me. She does not understand that I don't want to be the person that she is trying to turn me into."

Elidor frowned as he too pulled a bench to sit down in front of her. "Well…maybe she is just doing that because she loves you. Perhaps she is just trying to find a way to connect with you better. You know? Try to find something in common," he mused.

She looked up at him with a contemplative face. She then frowned again and looked down at her feet. "Don't be silly, she doesn't love me…"

"Stop," he interrupted. She looked at him with a quizzical expression wondering why he wanted her to stop. "That is not true and you know it. I bet that she _does_ love you and would be devastated if she were to lose you." He seemed to be thinking of his next words very carefully. "I know I would…"

She gasped as she looked up at his face, not believing that he said that. Once she assured herself that he did in fact say that, she smiled a weak smile and blushed lightly.

Once he caught a glimpse of her smile, he smiled himself, happy that he was able to put a smile on her face. "Feel better?"

"Yeah, a little." Again, she donned a quizzical expression upon her face. "But there is just one thing that I do not understand about her though." She looked upon him as he gestured for her to go on. "Last night, I went into her room, and I saw a strange mark on the palm of her hand. It was kind of weird. It was as if somebody took hot metal and pushed it against her hand…but it was silver…"

The boy looked at her with a serious expression on his face. "Umm…a…a silver mark? Are…are you sure? On her palm?"

Amelia looked at his face. "Yeeaaahhhh…" she answered slowly. She laughed a little, "I mean, it's kind of hard to miss something like that, you know?"

Elidor realized the suspicious and odd manner that he was acting in while in front of his friend and quickly apologized for his strange behavior. "Anyway, umm…what shape was this strange marking in?" he inquired.

Amelia racked her brain as she attempted to search her memory of the previous night when she entered her mother's room and saw the marking on her hand. Try as she might, she just could not remember the shape that it was in. She sighed before she responded, "You know, it was too dark in her room. I wasn't paying attention to the shape of the marking…just the fact that it was there grabbed my attention. Not the shape."

"Ahh, yes…I see." Elidor got up from his seat to go move the metal around a bit to provide a distraction from his awkward behavior. "I'm sure that it is nothing to worry about, Amelia. I mean, your mother is a strong woman, she wouldn't cry over something as mundane as a silly scar," he laughed.

At the mention of this, Amelia scoffed as she too stood up from her chair to prove a point. "My mother? Strong? Just how long have you been in this building because I think the fumes are getting to your head. We are talking about my _mother_ here. The same woman who would complain if the sun was too hot. The same woman who objects to me working in such a "dangerous place for men only." The same woman who can't do anything that requires strength by herself! Hell, she never even…," she froze.

Concerned, Elidor turned around to face her, a grasping tool in his hand that was red hot after it was touching the metal. "Amelia?"

She shook her head, her eyes became as wide as her mother's delicate and prized porcelain plates that she never uses for food. "My mother _never_ takes her gloves off…," the young woman whispered.

The boy tilted his head slightly in a questioning manner. "And?"

"And…?" Amelia began. "Every time I am with her, she _always_ has those gloves on. I never see her bare hands." She began to dig back into her memories, trying to recall a specific one. "I remember that one time, I entered her room without knocking. She was sitting on her bed looking at the palm of her hand. The same one with the mark. Not expecting me, she jumped quickly and turned around, immediately pulling her glove back on while leaving the other glove there on the bed." She then gasped as a sudden realization hit her. "She was trying to _hide_ that mark from me!"

The young man just shrugged and went back to tending to the fire with the metal. "Ehh, I wouldn't be too concerned over that. She probably just doesn't want you to see it because she does not like the way it looks on her palm or perhaps it brings back a painful memory from when she first received that mark." He continued to poke the metal, trying to keep his mind distracted from Amelia's odd way of thinking. _She's just probably over-thinking this, nothing to get too worked up about,_ he thought.

"But that's not it," she whispered as she suddenly remembered another crucial and relevant piece of information from that night that she just recalled. "At first, I dismissed it as something odd...like a stray candlelight or something else. But it was completely dark that night. There is no possible explanation for this. Damnit! She is hiding something from me, I just know it!" A few tears then came out of her eyes as another thought entered her head, "She doesn't trust me. She doesn't trust her own daughter…"

Now, Elidor was _very_ concerned. Amelia _never_ cries. She was the type of girl that embraces pain and uses it to help toughen herself up. She has never liked it when girls her age shed tears over the most insignificant little things such as simply stubbing their toe on a rock or at the sight of a "ghastly" and "hideous" little harmless bug on the ground. This is one of the reasons why he likes hanging around with this specific young woman. She was just so different from others her age that something about her entices him to want to be around her. This is why he became surprised when she began crying. _Even though she always denies it, she must still lover her mother. _He placed the metal tool by the fire and held Amelia in his arms to help her stop crying.

At this gesture, Amelia was surprised. Normally, her heart would be jumping all over the inside of her body. But at the moment, it was too heavy from the grief of her discovery of her mother not being able to trust her.

"Amelia, there is no reason to be upset," he soothed, attempting to calm her down. It seemed to be working because she stopped shedding her tears. "I am absolutely sure that…"

"You don't understand, Elidor!" she began while ripping herself from his arms which she quickly resented as she missed his warm embrace. However, she knew that this was necessary to grab his attention. It worked because he was staring right at her wondering exactly what is on her mind. "That night, when I saw her staring at her palm. I didn't know that she had the mark back then, but there was something weird going on because..." she took a deep breath. "Her palm was _glowing…_"

The whole blacksmith's shop was silent except for the sounds of the flickering flames that did not care for the heavy feelings of the room, Amelia's heavy breathing, and Elidor's sharp intake of a breath...not from surprise, but from the fact that his feared thoughts has been confirmed.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Thorn looked out at the cave's entrance at the beautiful scenery that he could see from his position on the ground still with Saphira under wing, sleeping. He turned back to the sapphire-scaled dragoness that was leaning against his side and slightly smiled. He then shook his head and snorted. _What am I thinking? I do not love her! I can't love her!_ he mused. _She would never love a dragon like me. Why should she?_ The ruby-red dragon once again turned his head to stare at the fire this time. The flames of the fire were tall after being created from Veltrose's vast internal flame. They were constantly twirling amongst one-another, teasing each other. It was as if they were all fighting for dominance so that that single flame would be the tallest out of them all before another would bring it down to take its position. A never-ending battle, just like the battle inside Thorn's heart.

_I hurt her,_ he whispered to himself. _A dragon _never_, under any circumstances, hurts another dragon. Especially if that other dragon is a female._ He closed his eyes so that he can concentrate on something other than Saphira. However, he just cannot get his mind to obey him. Every single one of his thoughts would always end in how he had hurt Saphira in the past and it would always push him further into the idea that he is not fit to be in love with _such a beautiful creature with scales the color of the strong ocean currents. Eyes like that of a beautifully crafted jewel made of ice shining in the sunlight. Gentle and caring for those she loves, yet strong and fierce so that she can protect them from the dangers of the world,_ he pictured. He then sighed, _…like me._ He then smiled warmly before shaking his head once again to freeze these thoughts in their tracks. _No! I cannot think like that!_ He then opened his eyes and stared at his feet, saddened that he will never belong to the beautiful creature right next to him. However, he was not aware of said dragoness beginning to stir beneath his wing.

The sapphire dragoness lifted her long neck only to notice something holding her down. She looked to her side to assess the situation. She was shocked, unbelieving of what she is seeing...and not knowing of how to respond. She smiled warmly at Thorn before adopting a blank expression on her face as she thought of what she should do. Then, she smirked as she said in a sarcastic manner, _Well, isn't this an interesting thing to wake up to?_

Thorn froze before slowly turning to the now awake dragon. _Saphira! Erm...,_ he began as he quickly thought of an appropriate thing to say. _Please don't hurt me… _

At that instant, Thorn could have sworn that the temperature had plummeted as he now began shivering once again.

* * *

Sincerely,

_The Aviator_


	10. Tested, Proven, and More Questions

_Sorry that I had to abandon this story for a bit again, bus (as usual) I was busy with school and college stuff since I'm in my senior year of high school. BUT GUESS WHAT? I'VE BEEN RANKED #34 IN A CLASS OF 700 STUDENTS! =D AND GUESS WHAT ELSE?_

_**I'VE BEEN ACCEPTED INTO EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY!**__ =D_

_**ALL REVIEWERS WILL RECEIVE A PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 11!**_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the __Inheritance Cycle__ under any circumstances. The book was written by Christopher Paolini and published by the KNOPF publishing company. This fanfic is a mere extension of my twisted but awesome imagination. I only own the plot, original characters and places, and original artifacts such as the Emora and the Rosetta Maps._

* * *

_Ahh, nothing better than a large buck for breakfast,_ Veltrose smiled after eating his kill. He then gathered all of the results of his rather successful hunt. _Of course, it was even better with this beautiful scenery surrounding me._ The white-scaled dragon looked up at the evergreen trees that were covered with snow allowing the trees to have a sparkling quality to them when the individual flakes of the frosty substance caught the light. In front of him was the lake that the others had previously crashed landed on. It too was sparkling in its true magnificence with the help of the sun above.

Veltrose made sure that his kill was secured in his jaws and in his old (but still incredibly sharp and deadly) talons. Once that task was complete, the old and mighty dragon walked towards an opening in the trees and, after taking a final look at his peaceful surrounding, unfurled his massive and slightly torn (from old age) bat-like wings and slammed them down towards the ground while jumping into the air. After several thrusts of his wings, he finally deemed himself to be at a safe altitude above the trees and settled in for the short flight back to his cave while being sure to not drop his food.

_Shruikan has not slept much last night,_ he noted from his many glances at him from the previous night after he heard him tossing and turning. _No doubt from thinking of his brother._ He scowled. _How dare Fraener force him to make this decision that should not have to be made to begin with. Why, I remember him when he was a youngling. I remember how he would always play with his brother and Akarli would always have to force them apart to get them to finally sleep._ He smirked at the memory from the past and continued to recall more peaceful events.

He then sighed as he looked at the passing trees below him as well as the lake and other animals that were running from the shadow that he cast upon the ground as he flew by, fleeing for their lives. _That is how everybody is right now, fleeing from the power that Fraener now holds._ Even looking upon the amazing view of the mountainous region did not shake him from the disturbing thoughts that passed through his head of Shruikan killing his own brother.

The old dragon mentally shook his head (for had he physically done it, he was sure to drop his catch!) and tried to think of better thoughts. They then turned towards Thorn. _Ahh, his father would be proud at how his son turned out,_ he thought with a smile. He then frowned. _At least he would be, if he had not been corrupted along with the others of the Forsworn that followed Galbatorix like a dog chases meat!_ He then snorted as he looked straight ahead. _Why did I do that?_ Again, he attempted to calm himself down and clear his thoughts by looking towards his cave that he was now approaching. He smirked as he heard shouting reverberating from the cave walls sounding as if two dragons were tussling.

_Well, it seems that I do not have to wake anybody up anymore,_ he chuckled...

-X-X-X-X-X-

"Thorn! What is the meaning of this?" Murtagh shouted once he woke up along with everybody else after feeling the massive vibrations throughout the cave when the ruby-red dragon backed up quickly at the first opportunity offered to him once he found his wing free. However, the poor dragon accidentally tripped on a small boulder placed precariously on the cave floor. The massive creature found himself flat on his stomach after tripping—face-to-face with his rider and friends. Shruikan looked at him disapprovingly at having been forced to wake up from a much-needed slumber after his night full of restless thoughts and inner conflicts.

Saphira was staring confusedly at Thorn, as were the rest of the cave's occupants. The red dragon used what little dignity he had left to pick himself up and onto his feet…and move behind Murtagh while staring at the sapphire dragoness warily. Before anymore words were spoken, the sound of wing-beats could be heard from outside of the cave. Those that were previously asleep within the cave turned their heads towards the entrance to see who the intruder could possibly be. Eragon, Murtagh, and Arya quickly moved their hands to the pommels of their swords that were _supposed_ to be at their waists. After feeling nothing but air, their eyes widened and quickly looked around their immediate area, searching for their weapons. Angela simply looked to the entrance with a curious expression (with a hint of excitement) on her face.

Before long, a massive dragon with scales that appeared to have, at one point, been as white as snow but has now become slightly dilapidated. Nevertheless, this creature still appeared magnificent as he landed expertly without so much of a sound on the small ledge in the entrance. He then walked in carefully and gracefully carrying what appeared to be two kills. He set them down by the hearth and placed the wood he had been carrying in his claws into the fire. He looked on at his new occupants with bright ice-blue eyes that gave him a curious (and mischievous despite his old age) look. However, experience and wisdom still shown through very clearly from these eyes that have seen much over his many years of life. His age is evident by his slightly dinged and dirtied scales (although Veltrose takes great care to clean himself) as well as in his wings in which the smooth, silvery membrane was interrupted with slight tears and holes after being put to heavy use showing how much this creature enjoys flight. Also, if one were to look closely, the slightest bit of a smile could be seen on his muzzle which would calm the most distraught of people.

_Good morning,_ he greeted, slightly amused at their shocked expressions. _Good day for a fire, is it not?_

Eragon slightly shook his head from his confusion and looked up at him. "Excuse me, but…"

"Who in the hell are you?" Murtagh interrupted. Eragon sent him a glare whilst Veltrose made a sound in his throat that sounded suspiciously like laughter.

_My name is Veltrose,_ he began. He settled himself on the other side of the fire to face them. _I have already met Thorn and Shruikan. He was my student at one point, you know. Shruikan, I mean. Although I wonder what it would be like if Thorn was my student, instead. He seems to be more respectful to his elders while it took you, Shruikan, a long time until you finally began respecting me,_ he smirked. Shruikan glared slightly at Veltrose while Saphira stared curiously at the white dragon as if something was bothering her.

The elder dragon ignored their odd looks and continued introducing himself. _You're lucky I caught you crash landing on the lake. Had you stayed there a bit longer, I am absolutely sure you would have all fallen through the ice. You're in my home. I know it doesn't look like much but it's cozy and is very close to your destination. I hereby welcome you all to Crystila…well, at least to the entrance of the town._

"Wait…we're here?" Arya asked.

"We almost died?" Murtagh exclaimed.

"You were Shruikan's teacher?" Angela questioned, amazed. "My friend, you and I _must_ talk sometime."

_Ahh…I believe we already are talking, Angela,_ Veltrose smirked.

The herbalist's eyes widened at having been beaten at her own odd game of words. Then, they narrowed. "I _loathe_ you," she began. "Yet, you have an interesting quality about your personality. You seem to hold this certain…mystique that greatly perturbs me while at the same time makes me want to poke you until you release all your secrets." She scratched her chin in thought while she spoke this. The humans sighed, being used to this. The elf ignored her. Their draconic partners stared warily at her…still unsure if bringing her was a good idea. Veltrose smirked (and not for the last time, mind you!) again.

_Well then…,_ he blew a smoke ring from his nostrils with an interested smirk still plastered upon his muzzle. _Let the poking commence…_

-X-X-X-X-X-

The village of Crystila is usually quiet around early evening. Because of its position in the far north, the daylight is chased away by the moonlight at a much faster pace than in Alagaësia. In fact, the moon is so impatient that it is often spotted in all its glittery and mysterious glory around mid-afternoon. Its sisters, the stars would appear around dusk, twinkling in the unreachable skies above, mocking the residents of the vast land below. This brings a certain quiet quality to the village as mothers would call and usher in their children to their houses before they could get lost in the deep darkness that would surely fall upon them all like a dark veil…or a dragon's wing.

However, the quietness was disrupted by the loud _SLAM!_ of a wooden door.

"Amelia! My goodness! You'll wake the child!" Akarli scolded from the kitchen area where she was preparing the fish that they would be having for dinner. The smells of the seasoned meat permeated the house.

Amelia glared as she threw off her coat onto the coat hanger—not caring that she missed and the article of clothing fell into a messy heap on the wooden floor—and stomped over to the kitchen. "Oh, so now you care more about him than you do about me? Are you telling him you're secrets as well, now? Afraid that I will over hear something?" she shouted.

"Amelia, what is this all about?" her mother asked, confused. She set down the knife that she used to cut the fish, quickly dunked her hand into a water bucket that was nearby, scrubbed, and then reached for her glove with the other hand.

"What am I talking about?" the young one shouted in anger. She thrust her hand forward and grasped her mother's hand that was still buried in the water bucket and pulled it out, spraying water messily upon the both of them and the floor. "I happen to be talking about _this_ little thing!" She then proceeded to turn the hand in question over with the palm facing upwards…along with the offending mark.

Akarli was shocked. After many years of hiding it from her daughter, she had been found out. She did not even have a warning or any time to prepare for this. What was she supposed to say? Deny it? Pretend that it is nothing? The evidence is right there and it cannot be hidden anymore. Akarli glared down at the mark before looking into her daughter's eyes. She noticed that they were full of pain and suffering. She even detected the small glitter that could only be a tear at the corner of her daughter's left eye. She then sighed.

"Come, let's sit down and talk about this," she gently offered. She softly pulled her hand out of her daughter's grasp and then guided her to a chair at the table. Then, she proceeded to sit down herself. "I honestly don't know what to say. I haven't really had time to think of the things that I should tell you."

Amelia sighed heavily and then leaned back in her chair while staring at her mother. The creak of her chair shot through the heavy silent air around them like thunder. All other noise appeared to be absent from the ears of the two women. "Let's start with the truth."

Akarli nodded in understanding. "If the truth is what you want, then the truth is what you shall get. This mark is…well…it symbolizes something, I believe…"

Her daughter looked at her in confusion. "You mean you don't know?"

She shook her head slowly. "No. I don't. Actually, I don't know _anything, _to tell you the truth. I'm talking about my life before I found myself here in Crystila. You see, I was told that I am experiencing amnesia. I don't know where I came from, who my mother is, or how I got here. Robert—that man you would sometimes see come here to talk to me—says that he and a group of hunters found me on the shore of the beach just on the other side of these mountains. He does not know how I came there or how I became unconscious, but he said that around me…he found large footprints. Like something massive came close to me at one point while I was lying there unconscious. Not only that, but…"

Akarli pulled out her necklace that was hidden under her shirt and then pulled the golden chain over her head. She first looked at the dark black scale as if it could give her all the answers but it just stayed in the palm of her hand…silent…refusing to speak. She sighed and then gently placed the scale on the table in front of Amelia. The chain made a slight scraping sound as it came into contact with the wooden table.

"Robert also found a few of these surrounding my body. He says that these are scales though of what he refuses to explain to me." Akarli placed her right elbow on the table (which surprised Amelia for she was always scolded whenever she had done this) and then placed her head on her hand. The international symbol of someone deep in thought. The wind blew a bit outside, rattling the window pane slightly but both women ignored this.

Amelia gasped at the sight of the single scale and picked it up off the table. She stared intently at it, fingering the smooth scale that appeared to be in pristine condition as it shined from the soft fire from the candle that sat on the table. The flame appeared to dance upon the smooth reflective surface of the scale. The single flame showed clearly despite the scale's pitch black color. Curious, Amelia brought the scale closer to the flame. The scale became hotter but Amelia noticed that the opposite side of the scale felt warm, but not as hot as the other side. Her eyes narrowed as a new question entered her mind…one that refuses to depart until her curiosity was satisfied.

"What are you doing?" her mother asked when she noticed Amelia stand up and run over to the coat that was tossed haphazardly on the ground by the door. She searched through it and then pulled out metal tongs that she accidentally kept from the smithery. She ran back to the table and picked up the scale that she dropped and placed it in the grasp of the tongs after she separated the golden chain from the scale. Akarli raised an eyebrow at her daughter's odd behavior.

Amelia then turned to her mother with the object within the grasp of the tongs. "I have an idea of what creature this scale came from…but I need to be sure. Mother, I know that this may be hard for you…but I'm going to need you to trust me."

"But Amelia, I have always trusted in you," Akarli spoke without the slightest but of hesitation.

Amelia's eyes widened as she glanced at her mother. She smiled softly and then stared back at the single scale. Slowly, she brought the tongs closer and closer to the flame until it was right over it. Noticing that the it was not melting or showing any other sign of damage, she looked to her mother who nodded at her silent question. Taking in a breath and holding it, Amelia began to lower the object into the flame and held it there for a few seconds before removing it from the candle. There was no visible damage to the scale. The only sign that illustrated the fact that the thing was subjected to an open flame was the small wisp of smoke emanating from one side. Akarli rose from her seat to get a heat cloth that she would use to handle hot plates of food and set it on the table before sitting down again. Amelia, getting the hint, placed the scale on top of this cloth ever so gently as if she was afraid that the curious object would simply fall apart. With the heated side faced downwards, she looked to her mother again.

Akarli put out a shaking finger towards the underside of the scale. She let it hover above the item for a few seconds and determined if it was too hot or not. After not feeling any intense heat from the scale, she slowly lowered her finger and prepared to pull it away at the instant that she felt any extreme heat. Her fingertip finally landed on the scale and rested there. She gasped.

"It's warm…but it is not even the slightest bit hot!" she exclaimed.

The young one nodded, her fears confirmed. "Dragon scale."

The mother's eyes narrowed as she recalled her dreams that she had had many nights throughout her new life. "I knew it. Robert thought about it, but I just had the feeling." She looked into her daughter's questioning eyes.

"I have had dreams—although I'm not so sure that they're just simple dreams anymore. They were of this large black creature. I guess now we can call him a dragon. As strange as it may sound…I believe I was atop him. Like I was riding him or something…_ARGH!_" She immediately grasped her head and clumsily stood up, accidentally letting the chair fall down with a loud clatter upon the wooden floor with the sound echoing throughout the house.

"Mom! Are you alright?" Amelia asked, unaware of the fact that this is the first time she called her "mom" instead of "mother" or her actual name. "What's going on?"

Akarli's eyes were shut but strangely, many images passed in front of her eyes in a rush. Despite the fast speed, Akarli managed to recognize all the images and committed them to memory, making sure to never forget them.

"What's going on?" Amelia whispered again.

The mother's eyes opened after a minute or two. She swallowed heavily and tried to soothe the massive headache that she now had. She looked down at her daughter's worried eyes and whispered three words: "Memories…," followed by, "Get Robert…."

-X-X-X-X-X-

…_and then, Shruikan being the young fool that he was, thought that he would not have any problem and decided to go for it…only to be racing towards me with a whole hive of bees chasing him,_ Veltrose chuckled along with the others.

Shruikan, however, was not amused. This was clearly shown when he growled and continuously breathed out black smoke. He then looked down at his two young charges that were still under his wings. He noticed Ehecatl smiling but what _really_ amazed him was the fact that his older brother, Astarot, was actually laughing. This made him lighten up and caused him to chuckle as well for he realized that Astarot smiling was a very rare event. Astarot _laughing_ must have been something so rare that one would have to go back to the dragonet's childhood to find a similar expression.

_The poor fool forgot that he had scales…and he's a DRAGON! _the white dragon continued.

"So that's all we needed to get you away from Galbatorix? Bees?" Murtagh roared with laughter along with Thorn.

_I will never see you in the same mysterious and foul light that I saw you in the past again, Master,_ Thorn smirked.

_Watch it, _Shruikan warned. _Don't forget that I still have years of experience over you and can still make your life a living hell…hatchling. _The black dragon inwardly grinned when he noticed Thorn shiver from the threat.

_Oh come now, Shruikan,_ Veltrose began. _You don't nearly have as much wisdom and experience as I do. _The elder continued laughing.

_And you do? Correct me if I am wrong, my old friend, but I seem to remember a time when a certain white dragon with years of experience happen to wake up in the middle of the night hungry. This creature of immense wisdom flew off for food. Once you ate, you flew back but you were so tired, you fell asleep…IN MIDFLIGHT!_ Shruikan chuckled even more along with the others. _It took a mountain to literally slap you in the muzzle before you woke up. Am I not correct, master? _he asked with heavy sarcasm and the still present grin knowing that he had bested his master in storytelling.

Veltrose stared with a deadpan expression at his student and snorted. _That might have happened…,_ he agreed.

_Might have?_ Smoke plumed from Shruikan's nostrils as he continued laughing. _Go outside and check, I believe that dent in the mountain is still there._

Veltrose harrumphed before finally cracking a smile. _Correct me if I am wrong, my _young_ friend,_ he began in the same way as his student had just to spite him. _But I also seem to remember a time when a certain black (and foolish) dragon do the same exact thing when he was blinded by love (and stupidity) by looking at a young female dragon and flying after her only to momentarily forget to flap thus causing yourself to fall into the ground. Fly over there and check for I believe the imprint of your body is still there on the ground._

The eyes of the dragon-in-question widened before narrowing. _I thought I told you to never speak of that again,_ he growled.

_Just like I told you to never speak of my sleep-flying to anyone? Hmm, yes. I seem to remember having such a conversation._ The elder laughed before opening a personal link to Shruikan. _Face it, my friend. I won._ He winked which would normally seem odd to any dragon but appeared normal to the…

_Old bag of scales,_ Shruikan called. He then cracked a small smile. _I missed you, Master._

Veltrose smiled. _Now, Shruikan. If I heard correctly, _you_are the master of these dragons. You are their teacher. I could not think of any better dragon to teach them the ways of the dragons. You were a very interesting and fun student to teach as you have made me feel more of a youngster. Although there were those moments when you just made me want to rip my scales out._ He and Shruikan chuckled while the others continued bellowing out in laughter and continued eating the meal that Veltrose had brought. _You and I are equals to each other. There is no need in calling me "master" anymore, my friend. Just call me by my name._

_Yes, Veltrose, _he agreed with a smile which then slowly turned into a frown. _But I can't have possibly been a good teacher. I was teaching Thorn how to kill mercilessly…I robbed him of his childhood. While it is true that I did not want to do that, I still did so anyway._ He looked down at his paws. _I should have been stronger. There are so many things that I have done wrong…so many mistakes that may have cost the lives of many…_

_You see? There's your problem right there!_ Veltrose chided. His youthful eyes narrowed, illuminating the true wisdom that was hiding. The eyes would be enough to freeze somebody on the spot to listen to what must be told. One could _hear_ the icy eyes being narrowed in the dragon's voice. You_ are always blaming things that are out of your claws on yourself! Did you really have much of a choice. No…stop! I know what you're gonna say. That you were the one that sided with Galbatorix in the first place and that you did so willingly. But think about it. What would have happened if you decided to back out of it later? Either you would have been killed or you would have been forced to destroy so many innocent lives._

_I suppose so…_

The elder looked upon his young charge (now a Master in his own right) and softened his intense glare. The ever present wind entered the cave and tickled the fire in the center which retaliated back by becoming slightly larger to bat the wind away before resuming its original size. This was what was happening within Shruikan. Veltrose noticed the conflicting emotions occurring within the dragon. The others now began to talk upon themselves. All except Saphira who continued to stare at Veltrose with eyes that held a question. The Old one took note that he should talk to her later once he was done with Shruikan.

_My friend, you're fighting fire with wind. Too much wind, the fire will dissipate until it eventually disappears. Too much fire, the wind will simply be swallowed up and allow the fire to become larger. There must be harmony within the two elements, just like there must be harmony within your soul and your emotions. Rejoice! You're here with me and with new and interesting companions! Not only that, but you will also be reuniting with your rider in time. Don't dwell on the past. Live for the present and prepare for the future._ The white dragon gave a final nod to confirm that he is being serious (which is an odd quality of the old coot) and must be listened to.

Shruikan's lips twitched into a slight smile. _You old coot…again with the nature proverbs?_

_Anything to get you to listen, my friend. Anything that will get through that thick bundle of scales on your head,_ he smirked.

_Excuse me, Veltrose? It is Veltrose, right?_ A thought entered through his mind.

Everybody turned towards the source of the thought: Saphira. _Yes, Saphira. It is. How may I be of service to such a beautiful young dragoness such as yourself?_ he offered.

Eragon and Murtagh smirked before being silenced by a glare (along with a threatening growl) from Thorn. _I learned something interesting about a major difference between us rider dragons and regular wild ones._

The white one nodded his head in understanding and as a signal for Saphira to continue her inquiry…yet he became afraid of the direction in which the innocent question was going.

_Rider dragons can communicate within their minds while those of the wild variety retained their ability to talk out loud…_

Shruikan began to stand to stop Saphira but Veltrose held out a wing to stop him.

_So how is it possible for you to talk within your mind? Are you a rider's dragon?_

_Saphira, _Shruikan began but was cut off by Veltrose.

_No, wait, my friend,_ he silenced the black dragon who promptly sat back down to see how things would unfold.

At first, there was nothing bus silence. Everybody, including the herbalist, the two humans, the elf, and the four dragons (not including the one in question and Shruikan) stared at the white one, curious of the answer. Shruikan just stared at Veltrose because he was worried for his friend. He believed that his former Master should not have to answer this question, understanding of Veltrose's past. There was complete and utter silence in the cave that, again, was broken only by the ever present wind whistling as it blew through the stalactites and stalagmites along with the other deformities of the cave. The _drip-drip_ of the water from the melting snow above the cave could be heard as it slithered around the conical structure of the stalactite above the fire. Some drips onto the floor, others falling into the fire with a _hiss_ and a _crackle._ The fire would also sometimes pop once the flames lick a pinecone or an acorn that may have been brought in from the outside.

Veltrose looked deep into the fire, no one dared to speak. He concentrated on each single lick of flame battling over the other for dominance. He thinks of which path he should take…what should be said and how much of it should be spoken in front of his interesting _cave-_mates. He would have chuckled over that thought: cave-mates. Naturally, he would have found the term amusing along with many other little things that he would feel it funny enough to reveal to them to discharge a laugh…or at least a giggle. But not even a smile crossed over his lips. This was too serious a manner to laugh. He finally pulled his gaze away from the battling flames and looked up at everyone's curious faces. Veltrose then decided on a path and slowly stood up. Again, his old bones protested but the dragon ignored the cracking sounds. Once he stood onto all four feet, he spoke with a saddened expression upon his face; another odd sight from the usual happy-go-lucky old dragon.

_Well,_ he began. _I guess it was a good thing I removed your weapons. _He lightly laughed but then stopped when he noticed that no one else joined him. He then sighed and continued on with the inevitable. _The reason as to why I possess the ability to talk with my thoughts and not with my mouth is because…_ He breathed deeply here. _…because at one point in my life, I had a rider. But…_

His throat clenched up. Shruikan knew that this was a very difficult subject for his friend to talk about and stood near him, letting his uninjured wing droop over his old companion. This was akin to an older sibling hugging the younger. It was like a protective hold; no matter what happened, he was there for the old dragon. To support him. It was very rare for Veltrose to be speechless, but Shruikan understood why he was acting this way. Nevertheless, it was scary. This isn't what his teacher is supposed to be like. He would say what was on his mind and not regret it. But here he was, speechless. Shruikan nudged his side to get the words out of Veltrose.

_He was evil…corrupted…_ The white dragon let his head droop towards the ground as he stared at the flames of the fire once again, watching them battle. Then, with new found courage, he stared back up at them all. He adopted a steely look in his eyes, and continued. _He was corrupted and became part of the Forsworn…_

…_and so did I…_

* * *

I'm sorry, but I have to say it. I absolutely _LOVE_ Veltrose's character. He's just so funny yet serious when he needs to be. But _DAMN!_ Were you guys expecting that little cliff-hangar at the end? lol Oh well. Until next time!

_**PLEASE VOTE IN MY NEW POLL THAT I HAVE POSTED UP IN MY PROFILE, IT'S IMPORTANT! THANK YOU!**_

Sincerely,

_The Aviator_


	11. Veltrose, the One Who Seeks

And here is chapter 11! AT 7,000+ words, this is the longest chapter I have ever written. (O_O;)

By the way, to be honest...I _really_ don't like this chapter...not sure why... *shrugs*

**ALL REVIEWERS WILL RECEIVE A PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 12!**

Again, I'm thinking of writing a _How to Train Your Dragon_ fanfic since the movie is still fresh in my head. You want to know why? BECAUSE IT'S A FREAKIN AWESOME MOVIE, THAT'S WHY! So please vote in my poll. =]

Now to important news: I GOT A $24,000 SCHOLARSHIP FROM EMBRY-RIDDLE! Now I just need $200,000+ more. lol

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle under any circumstances, the book was written by Christopher Paolini and published by the KNOPF Publishing Company. This fanfic is a mere extension of my twisted but awesome imagination. I only own the plot and my original characters and places._**

* * *

The whole world was shaking. Sunlight would sporadically stream in and shine upon Maria's face before, just as quickly, being hindered by some unknown object and leaving her face in darkness. A massive rumbling could be heard below her, filling her ears and making her deaf towards any other sound that may be present. Random objects were shaking all around her, some objects strewn messily on the ground around her on the wooden flooring. This showed how lucky she was throughout the night when she slept there on the ground that no object had actually struck her.

Maria finally opened her eyes, sat up, and sighed. That was her first night that she had spent with the small caravan of merchants traveling north towards Frostloral. The caravan consisted mostly of males with the exception of one adult female. This female's name is Catherine but she was sure to correct Maria when she had first spoken to her that she is to be called "Cat" instead. Maria smirked when she remembered the reason why people who know her call her that. "Because the last time that one of the subspecies known as "males" tried to _tango_ with me, I merely shut him up by scratching his face," she announced proudly.

The woman in search of her daughter had a feeling that she'll like Cat a lot. Maria stood up and walked towards the back of the covered wagon that Cat _kindly_ offered to Maria as a temporary bed. She had to chuckle at Cat's kind way of offering her sleeping mattress.

"If you don't go inside and sleep right this instant, I'll knock you out with a shovel and drag you onto that mattress, myself!" the kind woman offered the previous night.

Maria sat down on the floor at the back edge of the wagon that remained open. She allowed her legs to dangle over the ledge as she looked around at the surrounding landscape. They were currently on a widely used dirt road that ran parallel to the Edda River that was to the caravan's left. As they left Maria's town, they had crossed a bridge over the river to get to the other side. The trail was dusty as evident by the amount of dirt that was kicked up into the air by the wheels of the wagon and trailed off behind the vehicle. The road was frequently interrupted by small rocks and holes in the earth. Maria had to hold on tightly to prevent herself from falling over the edge and onto the ground as the rear-left wheel had fallen into a particularly large crevice. A few cacti dotted the other side of the trail as they were technically still in the Hadarac Desert. The noise of the water flowing in the river soothed Maria as the water trickled past the wagon train in the opposite direction. This was much needed as the woman could not sleep much last night due to the rapid shaking and harsh motions of the wagon along with thoughts that rapidly flew through her mind. Thoughts of how her daughter was doing and if she was doing the right thing.

She clenched the Emora tightly in her hand, running her fingers over the smooth surface of the blue stone as if it could bring her towards her dragon rider daughter at a quicker pace.

"If you hold that damned stone any tighter, I'll have to take it from you lest you break it. Who knows how much hell will come forth if that thing were to get a crack!" she heard a voice shout out. Maria leaned forward (while still holding on) and turned her head to peer to the side of the caravan that she was on. There, walking alongside the vehicle was a woman with long blond hair that was braided in the back. She was wearing a man's shirt and tight pants along with a hat that she had clarified was a "cowboy's hat" (whatever that is). Striking green eyes penetrated from under the rim of the hat along with the ever-present smirk gracing her lips.

"Morning, Cat," Maria smiled.

-X-X-X-X-X-

No one moved. All was still. The sound of the ever-present wind whistling through the multiple crevices of the cave along with the crackling flames of the fire was ignored by the occupants that stood in disbelief of Veltrose's tale that was just getting started.

"Why?" was the only word that penetrated the created silence as they ignored the blowing wind. Arya's eyes were narrowed suspiciously at the old dragon that received everybody's undivided attention. "Why did you freely choose to join that mad king? The one that had started the war in the beginning and killed countless human lives." Her voice began to rise in volume. "Did you stop to think about all the damage that would be done upon the lives of many families? The children who lost their fathers to war? Each dragon _killed…_!"

_They were not killed, they simply…,_Veltrose began to defend himself by cutting Arya off but this only further angered the elf and caused her to interrupt him as well.

"That's beside the point!" she spat with pure venom in her voice. Her eyes narrowed even more and the elf princess took up a defensive stance as she took a step forward towards the offending dragon. "You helped to kill many. Families destroyed! And you helped."

_Arya, please,_ Shruikan interjected; glad that the injuries sustained by the elf inhibited her magical abilities otherwise he was sure that sparks would definitely fly. _Allow him to speak. Allow him the chance to tell you all that had transpired. He saved our lives…_

"…and destroyed MANY others!"

_Arya. Please…,_ Shruikan asked, desperately as he stared upon his old friend and noticed how destroyed he looked. His once proud and regal gaze had exploded into one of pure misery as he began to remember. His eyes held pain as memories flashed before them. His head was bowed down in shame; the opposite of what it had been just five minutes earlier in which it had been held proudly up as he exchanged fascinating stories. The flickering light of the fire casted a strong and painful shadow over his eyes like a mask. Was it a change in the light? Or had his scales actually taken on a dull and dirtied tinge? _Just…please, Arya…_

The elf stared at Shruikan and then snapped her neck (while still being graceful; after all, she _is _an elf) back to Veltrose. Her eyes softened…but only for a second before they hardened again. She looked around the cave at the others. Eragon and Murtagh did not know what to think of the situation as they just simply sat there on the ground watching on in curiosity. Angela did not even seem to be paying attention, she just simply stared deeply into the fire as if ignoring everything but Arya knew that she was listening just as intently to the conversation, drinking it all in. The dragons were listening just as intently as they all circled around the fire. Shruikan had his uninjured wing covering Veltrose in a comforting manner. She stared back at Veltrose and locked her eyes onto where she believed his eyes would be, hidden by the shadow.

"Why?" she spoke slowly and clearly to Veltrose but still in the strong and sharp voice that she possessed. This one word cut through the silent air. Now, even the wind had stopped blowing. The fire, no longer being teased by the wind or intruded upon its domain by the dripping of the water from the ceiling, also became silent. All was listening in upon the story of an intelligent dragon with a troubled past and an unknown future, Veltrose the Seeker.

_Normally…I would attempt to dissuade you from knowing about my past. But I have been hiding everything for so long that I was beginning to forget about everything. Perhaps it's good that I tell you as it may be the only reason to get you to trust me so that we can all work together,_ Veltrose mused.

"Work together? What f…?" Murtagh began but was silenced by a glare from Thorn and a punch from his step-brother.

_All will be answered in good time, my new friends, _the seeker-of-his-right-to-life chuckled lightly. He stared at Arya who was still standing up in a confused manner, unsure of what to do now (which is very rare, coming from the hardened elf). Veltrose nodded to her and she sat uneasily beside Eragon, intent on listening to the story that she dragged out of Veltrose. She was unsure if this was a good idea. _Now that we are all seated comfortably around the fire, let's see if I can remember. Where shall I begin? Hmm…_

The massive story-teller shifted slightly and bent his long and elegant neck downwards towards the fire and blew a short stream of fire to bring the dying flames back to their full wondrous life. Sparks were created and took off towards the ceiling of the cave as the smoke carried them towards the opening. _Ahh, I know! Let's start where all others stories commence from…the beginning…_

- - ( f l a s h b a c k ) - -

_**As with all dragons, I was born in an average, ordinary egg. It was white, of course. My mother had hatched me in some mountain range (I don't know where, but that's unimportant) in a small and snowy valley in Alagaësia. Much like this one; perhaps that is why I chose this location and was very reluctant to leave it because it reminded me of where I had hatched. Except, because this was in the middle of the mountain range, it was constantly windy and if it snowed, that snow is blown all over the place and makes it hard to see…even if you're a dragon. Here, we're in a valley slightly above sea-level. There's wind here, but nowhere near as bad as it was up there. Anyway, there was a band of explorers up there searching for a treasure that was rumored in legends to have been hidden somewhere beneath the snow. They never did find it (unless you count me as a treasure, some say my eyes sparkle like jewels. Don't you think so Shruikan? Arya? No? Humph, anyway…)…**_

"Sir, I am starting to get the feeling that there is absolutely _nothing_ up here. We are freezing our asses off, we're running out of provisions, we _lost_ the damn compass. Face it, we're abs…," a young man began. He was wearing a heavy winter coat (as were they all) lined with fur of some animal on the inside while the outside was covered with a waterproof fabric material dyed blue. His hood was pulled tightly over his head with him forcing his head down while holding an arm in front of his face to shield himself from the freezing rain and snow blowing dangerously all over the place. He was hunched over as he walked into the wind so that the amazingly strong gale did not push him into the ground. He was next to another man that was taller, larger, older (but not by much), and much more experienced in handling difficult manners. This was the man that he had been addressing and he was the same man that had cut him off as if he was an insignificant, unimportant, and inexperienced kid that had decided to join the expedition.

The young man agreed that he may be unimportant and inexperienced since he just jumped at the opportunity to join the expedition so that he can get away from his parents since he believed that once someone turned eighteen years old, they should begin to start their own life away from their parents to prove themselves. However, "insignificant" and "childlike" are not things that he agreed with associating with himself. He joined to see if exploration may be something that he could be interested in…it's not… Why?

"Listen, ya little mongrel. I've been an explorer for twenty years and if there is one thing that one learns, it's that everything turns out almost all right at the end," the head-explorer stated.

'_Almost all right?' Tell me that he did not say 'almost' in that sentence,_ the young one thought as he continued to trudge on through the heavy snow to attempt to catch up to the other explorer who kept on walking seemingly without a problem.

"Sure we lose one…maybe two guys at the end…but everything is still fine at the end…almost. So if you're hungry, then feel free to go on and use that little stick of yours to find something to eat out here in this winter wonderland. Ya got that? Nature doesn't hand you a damn roasted pig on a silver platter or whatever fancies ye. Ya gotta go out there and find the food yourself and kill it with your little pea-shooter there. And guess what? The food's still alive once ya find it. After the first arrow, it could still be alive. You'll also be lucky if ya find anything out here on this frozen ice-pop. So get out there and do something useful for a change. If yer lucky, you'll find a dead littly bunny-rabbit or a field mouse. Go on! Git!" he shoed away. "If ya got even more luck on your side, you'll find us again in two…maybe three days time."

The young man stopped as the other continued walking. _Well…he's charming. I wonder which quality his wife liked about him. His patience or his romance?_ He sighed and then turned around from the exploring group. _At least a can read the map and the stars,_ he thought to himself as he felt for the map that was on the inside of his jacket on his person. _Now if only I can see the stars,_ he growled to himself. He noticed a small group of pine trees off in the near distance that he almost couldn't see in the heavy snow. He began walking towards that area thinking that he'll have a better chance of finding game there. He fished for his bow that he hand-crafted from his back. It was made out of metal instead of wood like most bows. This was to give a sturdy construction to the bow. Another unique feature was that instead of having to manually hold back the string to let the arrow fly, it has a notch in it to hold the string in that position. At the push of a trigger, the notch releases the string and the arrow has a more defined and true path since there is no human factor from drawing the string back manually. He designed it himself in his spare time. _…which is everyday. I don't have a girlfriend (yet), or a job (yet), or money (yet). Just a few chores which I'm convinced were given by mom and dad to just give me something to do._

He continued to walk forward slowly while his shoulders were continuously hunched down and his arm over his eyes while trying to squint his eyes to at least get some sense of a resemblance of where he was and where he was going. As he walked, the wind found a small opening between his head and the hood that was pulled tightly over his head. The tricky and unforgiving wind caught the hood in its icy grasp and threw it back behind his head. The lad groaned and used one hand to get a firm grip on his hood which was flapping behind him. He had to close his eyes since he no longer had protection from his arm _or_ the hood but he continued to walk to keep his body warm. When he finally gained purchase with his fingers on his hood, he tripped.

_As if my luck wasn't bad enough,_ the young man began but was stopped when he noticed the object that he had tripped on. It appeared to be some sort of random rock in the middle of the snow. It was white with what appeared to be an ice-blue vein-like design zig-zagging all around the small rock. _Odd,_ he noted. This was the first rock-like thing he had seen since he had first entered the snowy world. He then noticed that the snow surrounding the rock seemed to have melted, creating a small patch of revealed dirt around the little stone. The boy took off his gloves and picked it up. He felt something tingle where his fingers touched the rock. He thought nothing of it since he figured that it came from the cold. The lad just stared at the rock. The wind blew harder…and he stared. The snow slammed into him with a greater force…and yet his gaze never left the object's sight…

_**If I remember correctly, that was the night that I hatched. He set up camp between the little group of trees and created a fire. When he fell asleep and I felt the warmth of the fire, well…that was when I hatched. The first thing that I did was look around at my surroundings…it was beautiful. The snow, I mean. It just seems to have cleansed the barren ground and created a beautiful sculpture with the trees and rock formations. Everything around me was art,**_** Veltrose recollected. He stared at the others, making sure that he still had their attention.**

**Everybody was seated comfortably against the dragons (but they stayed away from Ehecatl and Astarot, respecting them). Shruikan was still lying down next to Veltrose, watching intently. He noticed that Veltrose appeared to be looking as well as feeling better as he slowly returned to his old self. His eyes were full of remembrance and memories. They had that far-off look when Veltrose stared back into the fire after ensuring that everyone was comfortable.**

"**He seems to have been very kind. So what exactly happened? Where is your rider?" Murtagh asked, fully absorbed in the story.**

**Veltrose's eyes narrowed dangerously. **_**He's dead,**_** he spat out.**

**Shruikan sighed. **_**He was doing so fine, just now. Really Murtagh? **_**He thought to himself as he glared at the red rider. He glanced back to his old mentor and softened his gaze. **_**You can stop whenever you wish,**_** he privately told him.**

**Veltrose smiled slightly as he turned his head to his student (now a master in his own right). **_**It is alright, my friend. Ever since what happened, I have been thinking intently about that day and the events leading up to it. I constantly became distracted. I've harbored this truth for a very long time. It MUST be told and who better to tell than to these great listeners?**_

**Shruikan nodded slowly.**

_**Well then, let us fast-forward a little bit, shall we? At this point, we have been together for around a year already. We were entering a village. Whatever for? I don't know. It's not important but what IS important is an interesting quality that I noticed about my rider. He is nineteen now. Still a young age but interesting enough, he was great with children…**_

_So tell me, what are we doing here again? _A young white dragon asked. His scales appeared to be well cleaned without a single flaw in them. His black claws were not that long yet (he's only a year old!) however that did not mean that they were dull and un-sharp for they were still indeed incredibly sharp and deadly. His scales practically invited the light to dance around them which created little rainbows of light if one were to look close enough. _I don't like it down here. It's too warm and I highly doubt that they see any snow down here at any time._

His rider sighed. "Again, we are here to visit an uncle of mine to see how he's doing because, from what I have heard, he is getting sick and I want to just be able to tell him that at least I care about him and the rest of my family. Also, it is true that it never snows down here for we are far enough into the south that they only receive sunshine and the occasional heavy rainfall. Never snow for it is just simply too hot." He continued walking down the dusty path between the town's small houses as he looked both to his left followed by looking quickly to the right and repeating as he searched for his uncle's house. "It should be around here somewhere…but where…?"

The young Veltrose snorted causing a twirl of smoke to escape his nostrils. _My rider, the navigator…,_ he stated in a sarcastic manner as he began to look around the village as he walked.

"My dragon, the one-and-only…," his rider answered back while continuing to look for the house. They were already used to the other's sarcastic remarks. They fell into a silence (which is always interrupted by Veltrose, by the way) as they continued to walk.

The dragon continued to look around, ignoring the awed looks by the children along with the wary glances by the adults. He then noticed a group of three young teens and an even younger girl off to the right between two homes. He noticed that one of the boys held a doll high above the girl's head. She attempted to reach for the doll but she just was not tall enough yet. _Oh dear,_ Veltrose mused. _Do you see what I see?_ He asked his partner.

The lad's eyes were already trained intently on the group with a hardened glare. _Oh, I see, alright,_ he began. He then changed his path and began to walk towards them. _And I intend to rectify what I see as well. Are you coming, Veltrose?_

_Most definitely, my good sir. Shall we see how they react to facing a rider and his ferocious dragon?_

_Oh yes, let's…_

The dragon walked all the way around the building to hide in its shadows between the two buildings and right behind the offending boys. The young man smirked as he imagined the outcome of this little situation. He then placed his hand on the pommel of the sword that was on his right side attached to his belt and sheaved to appear more intimidating. Of course he would not take it out as it was just for that extra scare factor…that along with the massive (to the kids as he is still not fully grown yet) dragon hidden in the shadows. _Well, this should be interesting,_ he thought to himself. _Time to save a damsel in distress…_

"Excuse me, young gentleman," he called out to the boys. He figured that if he would raise their status and make them feel more important, then perhaps they would feel more inclined to listen to him. "But is there a problem here?"

The one boy that was holding the doll gasped and immediately placed the doll behind him, hiding it from the view of the man. The other boys immediately turned around to face him, leaving the girl on the ground in the mud silently crying. The young man narrowed his eyes at the young boys.

"No, not at all! Honest!" one of the boys shouted.

"We didn't do nothing!"

"We just found her like that, cryin' on the ground!"

"Really?" the young man slowly drawled out in a suspicious _Yeah, right, I know what you did, ya little bugger_ manner. "You know, you boys look pretty tough…"

The boys looked up at him in surprise and then bulked up in pride.

"Yeah, you guys could probably take on anything. Looks like you guys possess a good amount of strength. Any of you guys thinking of becoming fighters? Soldiers? I'm pretty sure you guys would do well!" he continued.

"Well, my father owns a farm on the other side of town. I always help 'im in the fields doin' all the dirty work an' stuff!" one of the boys cried out, flexing his arms.

"Well it shows, it shows, my friend…" the young man internally smirked while externally maintaining an astonished look.

_**Oh, my rider was having fun with this,**_** Veltrose chuckled lightly. **_**He was probably the most sarcastic person you'd ever meet. But I'll tell you one thing, he had them all right where he wanted them. He knew where he was leading them.**_** The massive dragon smirked as he continued to recall the past.**

"My brother is a soldier! I want to be just like him!" the boy holding the doll spoke up.

_Bingo, _his dragon sang in his mind.

"Well, if you want to be a soldier, or perhaps even a dragon rider, you need to be strong, brave, and most importantly…honest."

"Honest?" the boys asked.

The young man merely nodded. "You must be willing to help those that are weaker than you, those that can't help themselves. If you want to save a million lives, you got to start with one. Be it one, be it one million, one life is just as important as…say, a king. One life lost is another life's failure. Honesty can definitely help save lives, don't you agree?"

The boys did not move a muscle as realization of how cruel they had been came upon their minds. To the young rider, they were looking even more guilty, but yet they still said nothing.

"You know, I've already seen what you guys were doing, but if you refuse to be the men that you guys can be and take responsibility for your actions by telling me about it, then…well, I guess you'll just have to tell my friend about it." He then gestured to behind the boys and the girl that was sitting on the ground with her head in her hands and they all turned around. Lo and behold, there stood a massive dragon with narrowed eyes spewing smoke from his nostrils in a threatening display. Curling his lip over his fangs in a snarl was the icing on the cake, however, as it sent the boys running away screaming. The boy holding the doll threw it at the dragon's feet in a brash attempt to hold the massive creature off and keep it from eating him. The young girl looked at the dragon in awe, not even seeming afraid. Of course, it was hard to be afraid of the young dragon once it stopped appearing threatening and, instead, fell down laughing in the deep and throaty way that dragons laughed.

_Oh, that was amazing! _he laughed. _Did you see the looks on their faces? It was hilarious!_

"Okay, Veltrose. I think that's enough now, you've proved your point that you're the meanest dragon in the world by scaring those children," the rider chuckled.

The dragon stopped laughing and narrowed his eyes at his rider. _You never let me have my moment, do you?_

"Well, I got to stop that big head of yours from inflating even more, now, do I?" he smirked.

Veltrose rolled his eyes and then looked at the young girl still looking at him. _Well, hello there. I do believe that this belongs to you._ He then took his tail and wrapped it gently around the doll that was still on the ground and held it in front of the girl. After looking at it for a few seconds, the girl looked at the dragon's eyes, then at the rider as if asking for permission.

"Go ahead, it _is _yours. Is it not?" he asked.

The girl nodded and gently took the doll from the dragon's tail. "Thank you…you…you're very pretty, Mr. Dragon."

The dragon hummed lightly in delight. _Well, you are quite welcome. My name is Veltrose, by the way. And I apologize, but I do believe that the word you were looking for was "handsome" as in "the most handsome and ferocious dragon" who has ever had the pleasure of meeting you, my dear._

The young girl giggled. "You're silly…"

"Yes, I suppose he _is _rather silly, isn't he? I've been telling him that for the past year that we've known each other," he laughed.

_Don't push it, my rider, for thou art crunchy and taste good with that tomato mixture you humans make._

The rider continued laughing. "You mean ketchup? My friend you seem to constantly forget that if I die then so do you!"

**Veltrose suddenly stopped the story looking suddenly frightened by that line. He sighed and then looked back into the fire, trying to forget about it and get back to the story.**

The young girl continued laughing. "You guys are both so funny!"

_Really? Some say it's an attractive quality, perhaps a dragoness can agree!_ Veltrose suddenly looked excited.

His rider's eyebrow lurched upwards. "While others, however, believe it to be an annoying turn-off. Sorry, Veltrose, my good friend."

The dragon growled lowly at his rider. He then looked back at the young girl. _I'm sorry, young child. But I don't believe I have caught your name._

The young child suddenly looked shy. A blush came to her still slightly chubby face. She looked down at the ground while holding the tattered doll loosely at her side. "Mommy said not to say my name to strangers," she lightly said under her breath.

"Yes, we are strange, aren't we, Veltrose?"

_Quite. The strangest pair this world shall ever bear witness to,_ the white dragon chortled.

"Anyway, I do believe it is getting quite tardy in the day, my good lady," the rider began while looking into the sky. He noticed that the sky was now filled with dashes of magenta and orange. The clouds were now fire as they were painted by swift brush strokes across the sky by the sun that was now only half-way over the western horizon. The familiar lopsided crescent of the moon hang in the orange sky, ready to provide a natural night-light for the world below once the sun betrays them all and disappears. "How about we get you home, I am sure that your parents must be getting worried by now. Veltrose, do you mind?"

_Of course not. I am sure that she must be tired by now and I will gladly carry this beautiful young girl upon my back and become her noble steed for the remainder of the day and will gladly protect her from…_

"A simple 'yes' would have sufficed."

_Then yes,_ the dragon growled out, annoyed.

The rider rolled his eyes and then bent down at his knees to make himself appear to be the same height as the little girl so as not to intimidate her. He held out his hand to the young girl to help her stand up which she grabbed and then pulled herself on to her feet. "I am sure that you must be tired. Would you like to ride Veltrose and allow us to walk you to your home?"

He almost chuckled when the young girl's eyes became wide with wonder and curiosity. After all, it is not every day that someone asks if you want to ride a dragon. She eagerly shook her head yes.

Veltrose, getting the hint, lied down upon his belly while the rider gently picked the young girl up and placed her gingerly in the dragon's saddle.

_Now hold tight, child. We wouldn't want you to fall off,_ Veltrose warned as he stood upon his feet slowly, being sure that the young girl was, in fact, holding tightly. _Well, then. Shall we go, my good rider?_

"Oh yes, let's…"

_**And then we were off. The youngling upon my back looked as if she was on top of the world…as if that was the best day of her life,**_** he chuckled. As he looked upon everybody else, he noticed that a small smile graced everybody's faces as they all stared at the fire while listening to his story.**

"**But what could have possible gone wrong? The way things are going, nothing should be going wrong," Murtagh noted as he looked upon Roran that was sitting next to him who simply shrugged.**

**Again, the mighty elder dragon heaved a lengthy sigh and noticed how late it was getting outside with the familiar crescent moon once again hanging in the sky. A breeze blew once again into the cave, twirling around Veltrose as if to comfort him. **_**Well, Murtagh, you'd be surprised how quickly things can literally go to hell, because that's what happened.**_

**Shruikan, noticing that they were now getting into the most sensitive part of the story nuzzled his old friend. He did not say anything because he knew that his old mentor would not listen. He also figured that perhaps it was a good thing that he was getting the story out of his chest. Perhaps this would make him feel better at the end. Nevertheless, he still held his ever-present wing over his friend to tell him that he is there to give him strength…that he is never alone…**

_**A few years later, we were the first rider and dragon of the Forsworn. I thought that we were doing a good thing for Alagaësia. A good thing for us! I thought that this was what we were meant to do. After all, we really weren't doing anything. We weren't even sworn in as Dragon and Dragon Rider in the Order. We were just basically a freelance dragon and dragon rider pair…adventurers…that's what we were: adventurers.**_** Veltrose then growled out in a violent manner. **_**But we didn't see what was really going through Galbatorix's mind.**_** He then growled even louder. **_**I didn't see what had happened to my once innocent rider…I didn't see the signs…**_

There is a tall oak tree on a small hill overlooking a river with a town on the other side of the river. The oak tree is tall with a very thick and healthy trunk which shows just how many years this tree had seen. The leaves whispered their secrets to all who would listen as the wind forced them to dance. At the base of this tree sat a rider and his massive white-scaled dragon. The dragon was asleep, the only sign of him being alive is his massive body expanding and then retracting as he breathes. As he slept, the rider stared intently at the town. He had already killed several that were against Galbatorix's vision of a new and better Alagaësia and dragon rider organization. He sighed, wondering if he is doing the right thing. He then looked at his dragon…his best friend and decided to shake him awake.

_What is it,_ Veltrose asked sleepily as he looked at his rider, blinking his eyes trying to clear his vision.

"I need to tell you something…something important," he began. He looked at the town quickly before switching back to his dragon friend. "You need to promise me that no matter who it is, you will stop that person from doing anything stupid."

_What?_ Veltrose chuckled. _My friend, what in the hell are you talking about? Where did this come from? _He continued laughing. His rider looked displeased.

"Veltrose…Veltrose! Please, I'm really serious about this!" his rider stated. The dragon looked at him with questions clearly seen in his ice-blue eyes. Worry was etched along with those questions in his eyes as well. "Please…promise me. Promise me that whatever happens, you will do whatever it takes to stop anyone—including me—from doing something…terrible." Veltrose's eyes widened. "Please…Veltrose…look into my eyes and tell me that you will promise to do so."

The dragon stared at his own rider and into his eyes. He saw nothing but fright in his rider's eyes and that just unsettled him. _Fine, I…I promise,_ Veltrose said, not knowing what he had just promised his rider.

_**Damnit, I should have known right there what would have happened. Even my own rider knew that he was going to die!**_** Veltrose exclaimed.**

**Shruikan continued to nuzzle Veltrose to calm him down, but it appeared to do nothing. Now the dragon was breathing deep heavy breaths.**

_**Later that week, we entered the town, trying to gain new recruits for Galbatorix. Unsurprisingly, everybody in the town refused. We were ordered to kill all those who went against the king. My rider simply sighed and stated one phrase that chills my bones to this very day. "Let's get to work."**_** He let that sink in to his companions for a few moments. **_**It was at that moment that I knew I had lost my rider…that he was not the same young man I had hatched for years ago. **_**He reflected the moments back from when he was a hatchling to when he had saved that little girl and helped her out in the village. **_**I lost my rider, and I would never get him back. I tried to get him to stop that day, but he was already too far in. After killing several innocent people, he had backed a family up against the wall of their own house. It was a mother, a father, and a young teenage girl. After looking into her eyes, I noticed that it was the same girl that we had saved…in a time long forgotten…**_

"Please, don't do this!" the mother hysterically shouted as she held her little girl against her, burying the girl's head into her chest as if shielding her from the pain in the outside world. The father was in front of his family, standing up against a rider and his dragon.

"Silence! If you renounce the king, you give up your life!" the rider shouted as he drew his sword and got into a fighting stance. The white dragon whimpered and looked away. He got a quick glimpse of the eyes of the young girl and instantly remembered them from a time long ago. Just a few years ago, he had allowed her to ride upon his back, and now he was going to allow his rider to kill her and her family. He could not allow this to happen.

_Erm…rider,_ he called out. His rider turned to him and stared. As he looked into his eyes, he received an assurance that his rider was no longer the same man that he had befriended years ago. This was an empty shell of that man. He had become mad by the king. He could feel the scales on the back of his neck stand at ends and he had to try his hardest to suppress a shudder that wanted to be released after staring into his rider's cold and emotionless eyes. _Could you let me do this for myself?_ He had a plan; one that he was terribly reconsidering but knew had to be done in order to stop these murders because he knew that he is just as guilty for them as his rider is since he did not stop him. Now is his chance.

His rider chuckled and sheathed his sword. "Finally, I thought I would have to do all of this myself. Start with the girl," he ordered.

The dragon this time did visibly shiver but hoped that his rider just mistook it for being cold from the breeze even though he is a dragon. That was not his voice anymore. It was deeper, emotionless, and was definitely full of madness. His rider was truly and most definitely gone…and he will never come back. Veltrose tried to get himself to understand that more so that he can do this more easily. But nothing can prevent a dragon from doing this to their own partner. But…no! This is not his rider anymore!

Veltrose looked down at the young woman that had stepped away from her mother who reached out for her while sobbing hysterically. Her husband was holding on to his wife, holding her back knowing the consequences of her running after her daughter. Veltrose's heart was ripped apart. _I know what I'm doing,_ he continued to reassure himself. He repeated this phrase over and over again in his mind as he stepped forward before leaving five feet between himself and the young woman. The girl looked at him with a steely gaze, not at all looking afraid for what she was sure was instant death coming from the dragon. However, Veltrose reached his mind out to the girl. _Listen to me,_ he began in a gentle voice. _Everything will be okay. But I need you to promise me to run away as soon as I give you the signal. I have an idea, but in order for it to work, you must leave instantly with them and never turn back. Whatever happens to me, run. Do you understand, child?_

The girl gasped, having recognized the dragon from his voice and his nickname for her but the dragon instantly told her to be silent so as not to alert his rider that was off to the side and watching intently, waiting for the death.

Veltrose stared at the girl, looking for any sign of understanding and acceptance. He searched the girl's mind until he was sure that she understood what she had to do. He saw it in the girl's eyes: the determination to get her family to safety. Veltrose nodded in return. _Run as far away as you can and never return to this town for I fear that they will be searching for you. I fear that this may be the last time that you and I shall meet. That day_—_years ago_—_you learned the meaning of saving others and friendship. Today, you shall learn what it means to make a sacrifice. Here, I will provide myself as an example. Remember your promise, child. Run, don't look back. It has been a pleasure meeting you in the past and I wish we were under better circumstances to properly meet each other again but apparently it wasn't meant to be. Remember your promise child…_

…_as I have remembered mine…_

At that moment, Veltrose lashed out with his tail at his own rider, slamming him at the wall of the house. _Run!_ he shouted at the girl who stood there in shock. But she nodded and immediately departed with her parents and left the town. He then looked down at his rider's shocked but understanding eyes, raised his clawed paw above him, closed his eyes…and struck…

- - ( e n d – f l a s h b a c k ) - -

_After that, I was surprised that I was still alive. I found it surreal…I felt the blood of my own rider flowing from my claws…yet I was still alive while he…he was…,_ Veltrose could not finish that thought. _I immediately flew away…I flew to the East and found myself outside of another town at the fork of two rivers. There I found Shruikan and taught him all I knew about dragons from what I had learned. I taught him about the meaning about being a rider's dragon. One day, the empire's forces came into town and I left and flew as far north as I could. Eventually, I found this little cave…made some friends, and…and…_

The others were shocked at hearing the dark past of Veltrose. They did move a muscle. The white dragon was stupefied as he stared at his surroundings. Here he was, retelling his past of when he had to kill his own rider to save others. Yet the fire continued to crackle and pop noisily without a pause as it hungrily ate the wood. The water continued to drip from the roof down into the fire thus making it hiss. The wind continued to blow from the outside and tickle the cheeks of the cave's occupants. The leaves in the trees sang while the trees danced in the wind…

…life went on…

The animals still foraged in the moonlight outside, their little hearts continuing to beat…as was his own massive heart. It was as if life was ignoring him and his tragic past. It annoyed him…bugged him to no end. Eventually, he gave up, turned around, walked outside, and took off into the silent and lively night, unsure of his destination…

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Hopefully, you guys now understand who Veltrose is and why he tends to have those little emo moments. Also, to clear something up, I purposely made Veltrose and his rider sound weird with each other because they're friends and friends tend to act not in their usual way around each other.

Please give your _honest_ opinion of this chapter, I may need it now more than ever because I just...really feel weird about this chapter. I think there's something wrong with it...

Thanks for reading...PLEASE REVIEW! =D

Sincerely,

_The aviator_


	12. The Abyss of Solitude

Although I doubt she'll see this, I would like to dedicate this chapter to my grandmother back in Puerto Rico. A strong woman who is trying to make it through her cancer treatment. I am always praying for you, abuela, and hope that everything will be okay. Don't worry if you miss my high school graduation, as long as there will be another day when I can see you. I wish I can just hop on a plane right now to visit you. _No llores porque todo va a estar bien muy pronto. Te veo muy pronto cuando tu llegues aquí._

_****__Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle under any circumstances, the book was written by Christopher Paolini and published by the KNOPF Publishing Company. This fanfic is a mere extension of my twisted but awesome imagination. I only own the plot and my original characters and places._  


* * *

When Veltrose suddenly took off into the night, Shruikan looked at the cave's occupants. Everybody remained sitting still around the still crackling fire, their shadows dancing behind them on the cave's walls from the light of the flame. They looked upset and confused. Even Arya, he noted, appeared to feel guilty which is a quality very rarely seen on an elf. The white dragon's story, unlike other stories, did not have a happy ending. It made them think. What would they have done had they been put into his position? His story was tragic yet perhaps the most frightening part of it all was the fact that it was all true. A rider's dragon had actually killed his own partner-of-his-heart in order to save the lives of many. Angela, surprisingly, was quiet as well as she stared deep into the fire trying to put her thoughts in order. They all had conflicting emotions…especially the dragon riders and their dragons.

Eragon looked upon Saphira as she looked away from his curious and frightened gaze. Eragon was ashamed to admit it, but he had actually had nightmares in the past in which Saphira, the other half of his own soul, would actually kill him. However, Saphira knew about this. _Eragon, don't you _dare_ think about what I think you're thinking about. I would _never_ harm you on purpose, you hear that?_ she calmly soothed him as she brought her softened sapphire gaze back to his own after thinking very carefully of what he had to say.

_Even if the same thing that happened to Veltrose's rider…happened to me?_ he asked softly.

_I knew Veltrose shouldn't have told you all everything about his past! _Shruikan growled after he heard this and similar thoughts between Murtagh and Thorn. _Listen here, you are rider and dragon. Nothing is going to change that! Galbatorix is gone so he can't do the same thing to you as he had done to Veltrose's rider._ He glared at them all, being sure to deliver his message clearly with his narrowing eyes. _Not even my brother would change that! You know why? Because you are all stronger. You have had the opportunities of being taught on how to be a rider and dragon. Veltrose and his rider? Well…they weren't as lucky. _He looked back to the cave's entrance and into the dark sky peppered by white, twinkling stars along with some lonely clouds.

_Brother?_ Saphira thought to herself. She looked around and noticed that no one else heard Shruikan's little slip-up. She narrowed her eyes, completely forgetting about her previous thoughts. She made sure to remember about this later and confront Shruikan.

_I want you all to go to sleep while I confront Veltrose, calm him down, and try to make him understand that he was not at fault,_ he continued as he padded towards the cave's entrance. _I'm serious, Saphira and Thorn. You will never find yourselves in Veltrose's position. I made sure to teach you well, Thorn, as I am sure Glaedr has to you, Saphira._

"But Shruikan," Roran interrupted. "Your wing is still healing…you can't fly yet until it's fully healed." He had noticed the strange medicine on his wing and how the black dragon would wince whenever he bumped the wing into something.

Shruikan walked out onto the ledge and looked at the long way down. He then looked to his side at the wall of rock that made up the side of the rocky mountain that housed Veltrose's cave. A smirk formed upon his muzzle. _Who said anything about flying…?_

Roran's eyebrow rose as his facial features scrunched into a suspicious façade. Eragon just chuckled behind him and patted the seat next to him on the ground by Saphira's bulk. "Relax, Roran. Shruikan knows what he's doing. Let's just all sit down and relax by the fire," he suggested. As if for emphasis, he opened his mouth and yawned widely. "Perhaps even go to sleep. I'm sure Shruikan would like to begin looking for his rider tomorrow…right?"

The dragon nodded once before turning around and looking outside and into the valley. _Relax, but do not wait up for me as I doubt I'll be back. I may have to sleep down there instead for the night._ When he caught a look of worry from Eragon, he smiled. _I'll be okay, my friend. I doubt anyone or anything would want to cause harm to two fully grown dragons._ He looked at the wall of the mountain next to him again and began flexing his claws to get them ready for the strenuous task that he is about to undertake. _Pleasant dreams, my friends._ He then jumped on to the side of the cliff next to the ledge and grabbed on with his claws. Slowly, but surely, he began to shimmy down while taking great care in not bumping his injured wing into anything.

Instantly, the eyebrows of Roran, Eragon, and even Arya shot up. Saphira and Thorn snorted in amusement while Astarot and Ehecatl continued sleeping, remaining oblivious to the outside world. Angela, however, continued to stare into the fire while deep in thought…

-X-X-X-X-X-

The woods seemed to be the perfect isolated area away from the crowded cavern. At night, it is quiet. The only noise that permeates the air as when the wind blows, shaking the leaves. The crickets fill the forest with their never-ending song. Here and there, a little forest critter would scamper over the snow, searching for food or their way back home. However, tonight, there appears to be another sound. One of fresh snow crunching under massive, scaly feet as a large, intelligent creature walks through the woods, mulling over thoughts that he had once thought were finally extinguished. Other than that, the forest is quiet as it listens in on the thoughts of Veltrose the Seeker.

_I have failed you, my rider,_ were the words that constantly circled within the white dragon's mind. _I should have seen the signs much sooner. Perhaps I would have been able to save you from corruption. Perhaps I would still have a friend when I need one the most…_

The massive creature made his way to a small clearing that was covered with fresh, smooth snow that looks to have never been destroyed by animals. It just gently sloped in some areas, creating miniature hills carved and shaped by the wind's icy artist's scalpel. Veltrose looked around the clearing before heavily collapsing onto the snow, relishing how the tiny ice-crystals made his old (yet still incredibly strong) muscles feel. He sighed before laying his head down upon his front paws and continued his thoughts.

_I was still too young, still too much of a fool to realize what was going on to my own rider. But still, he was my friend! I should have still seen the signs!_ A swirl of angry gray smoke curled out of his nostrils and into the air as he began growling in anger. _Yet I didn't. I let everything get worst and now look what happened. I killed my own partner-of-my-heart. I killed my best friend. I'll even go as far as to say that I killed my own brother for that was what he was to me: family._ He scrunched his eyes shut as he continued to wallow in his own self-pity._ And family should never kill family under any circumstances…_

Suddenly, he heard another sound coming through the woods. It seems like someone had followed him. He growled lowly in his throat out of annoyance. _Why can't the whole world just leave me the hell alone?_

_Because just as how family should never kill family; a friend should never leave another friend alone when they need someone to talk to,_ a familiar voice spoke from outside of the clearing.

_Shruikan? How'd you get down from that cliff? I specifically told you that you should stay away from…_

_I did not fly,_ Shruikan interrupted as he entered the clearing and stared at his friend. _I…found another means to get here._

Veltrose rolled his eyes._ You mean you found another means to get yourself killed._ He set his head back down upon his paws and closed his eyes, hoping that his former student would get the hint and leave him alone. However, instead, he felt Shruikan's eyes staring at him as if he was studying him. Then, he heard a few more paw-steps before he felt a massive weight settling itself down right next to him. Again, a low growl rose up from his throat before he rose his head up from the ground and glared at Shruikan who, as he had guessed, was now lying down right next to him on the ground. _You obviously don't understand my body language, do you?_

The onyx-scaled dragon stared back at him and had a look of mirth in his eyes while a small smile began to appear on his muzzle. _Oh? Perhaps you should teach me, my master._

The white dragon, clearly beginning to appear even more annoyed, narrowed his eyes even further. _You're doing it again._

_Doing what again, my master?_

_Acting like a complete idiot!_

_Oh?_

_Yes! Yes, you are! Don't "Oh" me. You always do that to get me to stop thinking about my rider. It was even worst when you were younger because you didn't just act like an idiot, you _were_ one!_

_But did it work? _Shruikan asked as his eyes softened back to their original worrisome gaze.

Veltrose sighed as he looked down upon his right clawed paw. No matter how many times he washed that paw in the lake or tried to lick it clean, he could always feel the blood of his own rider seeping between his talons. _It did…,_ he whispered softly.

Shruikan nodded but said nothing in return. He continued to stare at his old mentor as he continued looking down at his paw. The world continued going on around them but neither of them would notice. When the wind blew, they would not feel its gentle caress. When the leaves moved, they ignored their song. When snow would fall from the tall evergreens, their heads would not turn to capture the beauty. They could not even feel the cold but that may be due to the fact that dragons have an internal fire within them that keeps them warm even in the coldest conditions. It was as if nothing existed in the world around them but each other and their own thoughts.

_So, _the younger one began,_ have you been thinking of him ever since you arrived here?_

_Well, at first, no. My mind was preoccupied with the status of the village. I had to make sure that they were all right and everything. But then, it was like I no longer exist to them. Slowly, I began to become a legend. Nothing but a bedtime story to the younglings._ Veltrose then closed his eyes and rested his head once again. _Then I began thinking of him once again._

Shruikan sighed. _I should have followed you, stayed with you._

_No, Shruikan,_ the elder warned. _You had a life with that rider of yours. I would not want you to ruin your future just because I cannot seem to get myself out of the past._

_But I could have brought her with me. Perhaps it would have saved her from having to fall off my back and me deciding to join a madman in his quest to eradicate the land of freedom,_ he defended but his mentor just shook his head while still lying down.

_There is a funny thing about history that I learned, Shruikan. You see, for every bad thing that happens in life, something good always comes out of it in the end. Look at what you have accomplished, my friend. Look at how many friends you have made,_ he argued as he looked at his former student. _You're building a new, and perhaps even a better life._

_Perhaps, _Shruikan thought. For a moment, he remained silent as he appeared to be carefully thinking about his next words. The white dragon did not seem to mind at all as he relaxed and looked at the natural beauty around him. _If I may ask, master, has anything good ever happened to you yet. Forgive me if I overstepped a boundary…_

_No, no, not at all Shruikan,_ he smiled. _But, I suppose something good has in fact come out of all this. I mean, look at you, I guess you can say that I have made a friend out of you and turned you into a fine young dragon, if I do say so myself._

_Thank you, master._ The young one still sees that Veltrose is continuing to think about his rider as he has returned looking at his paw. _You know, it was not your fault._

_Shruikan…,_ Veltrose sighed.

_No really, hear me out, please, master,_ he pleaded. Once he received a nod to go on, he began. _Think about it, Galbatorix was a powerful being. He was able to implant visions of a better world into my mind and I actually believed him, master! Everybody believed him! Even you and your rider believed him! That's how powerful he had become. I remember you telling me that your rider could not find a purpose in his life before. He felt trapped in a life that just wasn't his. But you freed him. Now he'll have a chance to have a better life somewhere else._

_He's dead, _Veltrose spat out, angry at himself once again.

_Perhaps…or perhaps not. Did you not tell me about your theory of the dead? That they are reborn somewhere else in the world in a different body? Perhaps he has a much happier life now, master. And it is all thanks to you._

_Because I killed him?_

_Because you _freed_ him, master,_ Shruikan corrected. _And even if he is dead, well…at least he is back with his family. You said his family died while he was away, well now he is with them once again, Veltrose. You freed him from a world of hell. You even said that at one point, he knew what he was doing was wrong and that he desperately wanted to stop but was unable to. Think of the horrible life he could have had if you had not freed him. What if he had killed that little girl? What if he was forced to kill children? Or his own parents? Or the parents of other children? Did you ever think of that? He would have gone mad but you freed him before that ever happened, Veltrose. You are a hero. Not only did you free your rider from a terrible life, but you saved the lives of many._

The elder rolled his ice-blue eyes and stood up. He began to pace around Shruikan. _I am no hero, Shruikan. Do you remember what I told you the responsibility of a rider's dragon is?_

The younger one nodded. _To protect your rider at all costs. To give up your life if it means that it would save the life of your rider. Love your rider as if he was your own hatchling. Care for him. Invite him into your soul._

Veltrose nodded. _I cared for him as if I would lose him in the next second. Every waking moment of my life was spent at his side. I saw him as my brother and I would always protect him from danger. And then I killed him…_

Shruikan got up onto his feet and growled. _He was about to kill a young girl! How would he feel if he had done that? If he had expelled a young soul from the world just because she was the daughter of rebels, how would he feel? He was an uncontrollable killer! Even you couldn't control him!_

Veltrose let loose a roar that shook the snow off the trees around them and turned to him with anger burning in his icy eyes. He even let loose a blast of fire upon a tree. _You watch your place, hatchling!_ Shruikan's eyes widened before he backed up slightly. Veltrose may be much older than him, but he is still a powerful individual. The massive white dragon's body heaved as he panted. Warm smoke continuously expelled out of him as he attempted to calm himself down. His eyes were still narrowed, however, as he calmly stared back at Shruikan. _Every single day that I lived in this damned valley, I look back upon that fateful day and think of what would have transpired had I done something different. If I had flown away, perhaps he would still be alive, but he would still be a killer. I know that and I do not need you reminding me of that._ He continued to attempt to slow his breathing down as he relaxed. _I knew I had no other option that day. And yes, perhaps I did, in a sense, "free" him from a life full of misery._ His eyes widened as he collapsed back down onto the ground from fatigue. That had been the loudest he had roared in a while, never mind the blast of fire that expelled a lot of precious energy.

Shruikan eyed him out of concern for his mentor's wellbeing. He took a step forward but stopped, thinking that perhaps it would be better to allow him to calm down first. Neither of them paid any attention to the burning evergreen tree near them.

_I may have freed him, but he still felt betrayed as evident by him destroying our bond._

Shruikan was confused. _But, how…_

_Shruikan, I should be dead by now. Even you should know that once a rider dies, so does his dragon. But, I guess you can say that I found a loophole._ Veltrose swallowed before he, again, tried to control his breathing. _That day, at that moment, I was expecting that I would die. I wanted to die so that I may be with him once more. But perhaps he did not want that. _His heart began to feel extremely heavy.

Shruikan remained silent and allowed his old friend to let it all out.

_Apparently, when the rider destroys the bond between him and his dragon at the time of his death, the dragon will continue living, continue wondering what he had done wrong or, in my case, what I could do to make amends. To just tell him how incredible sorry I am. Shruikan, you're the only one that I am telling you this and I would appreciate it greatly if it would remain strictly between us._

Without any ounce of hesitation, Shruikan instantly nodded in agreement. A strong wind suddenly blew, allowing the fire to slowly begin to dissipate.

_When I first came to this valley and made my home in that cavern, more than once, I would come out onto that ledge and look down to the ground far below. I would think how easily it would be to just end it all right there and be back with my rider and to get him to understand how incredibly sorry I am. That fall could easily kill a desperate dragon. But then, I become weak and just cannot will myself to jump anymore. It was as if the whole world was mocking me by holding me back and it made me feel sick to my stomach knowing that I had failed once again._ He brought his muzzle down and under his right paw, shielding himself from the world around him.

The black dragon stared at how small and weak his mentor looked and sighed. He hated seeing him like this. In the past, to him, he had always been a strong and fatherly figure to him. He would always look up to him and never the other way around. But now, he is looking down upon his mentor and it made him feel sick. Veltrose looked small and weak to him. His scales lost their beautiful shine as if their host dragon is slowly trying to end his life which, in a sense, he supposes, he was in fact trying to do just that all these years. He misses the old Veltrose; the one that would always find the humor in the world around him. He had never seen him like this before. He sighed before walking forward and lied down beside his friend and lifted his uninjured wing over his friend's massive bulk.

For a moment, he thought carefully of what he wanted to say. _Well, perhaps you're not seeing it the way that I do, Veltrose. You say that your rider felt betrayed by you and was ashamed and wanted you to go on in life constantly thinking about what you had done. But, maybe that's not what he was doing at all. In my opinion, perhaps he freed you to give you the life that he could not have; one of freedom and choice. After all, had you died…well…the world would have lost one amazing and wise dragon. And I would have lost a great friend and teacher. I mean, do you know what you've done? I don't think I have ever thanked you for training Akarli and I in the fine art of being a Dragon Rider team._ Shruikan then had another thought enter his mind. _Perhaps your rider even tried to show that he still cared by somehow preventing you from jumping off that cliff. Maybe he's still around you but as a spirit rather than in body. Maybe you just have to keep your mind open and just look around you. He might be guiding you without you even noticing._

At first, he was silent as he began to think over what Shruikan had said. He began thinking that, perhaps, there was a small chance that he could be right. Although he still feels guilty, maybe that is what his rider wanted him to do all along. Maybe he knew what he might eventually become if nobody stopped him. Maybe that's what he meant when he asked him to stop him in any way that he saw fit. Now that he thinks about it, he remembers feeling something strange pulling him. Not physically, but mentally. It was as if strange thoughts have been planted into his mind by a mysterious outside being. _Could it be him?_ he thinks to himself. _Could he still be around me, just waiting for me to pay attention?_

_Damn,_ Veltrose cursed as he began to lift his head up again. _I made you smart, _he said as a small but sly smile appeared.

…_and observant. Thanks to you, I now see things in a different perspective,_ Shruikan noted. _You really do not give yourself enough credit for all you have done. I mean, you were the one that taught me how to do aerial combat. I even remember the time when you taught me how to strengthen my fire-breathing. But you didn't just teach me how to fight. I still remember those times us three__—__you, me, and Akarli__—__would sit around a camp fire while you told us dragon legends from long ago._

The elder's eyes sparkled as memories flashed through his mind. Memories that he had forgotten when he put himself through exile but has now been rekindled because of his younger companion. _You remembered all that?_

_Of course,_ Shruikan answered. _When I was trapped with Galbatorix, I would always refer back to those memories to make me feel less alone. I missed you, Veltrose._

_Hmm, _the elder thought. He opened his mind and looked at the trees around him all encrusted with snow and ice. _Perhaps that's why I fell in love with this valley, because it brought back memories long forgotten of my hatching and meeting my rider for the first time._ A sad smile graced his lips as he once again remembered that day. When the wind would blow and tickle his scales, he was reminded of the wind blowing when he hatched and blowing the hood off of his rider's head. The snow and ice around him reminded him of when his rider would occasionally slip as he marched on back home and how worried he was as a hatchling. He remembered how he would scamper up onto his rider's chest while squeaking and chirping worriedly as he rushed to make sure that his friend was okay.

_Come, my friend. Let's stay here and rest for the night,_ the former student suggested as he opened his maw widely and stretched his tongue out in a large, draconic yawn. _It is rather late._

Veltrose turned back to Shruikan as a very familiar smirk appeared back on his muzzle and a look of mischievousness sparkled in his ice-blue eyes once again, giving him that look of a rambunctious youngling rather than a wise elder. _My, my, Shruikan. A night with a very beautiful dragon such as myself? I don't know. What would your mate think?_

_Well whatever she does not know will not hurt her, right? _Shruikan joined in on the joke as he had done years ago with his friend.

_Right you are, my friend. Right you are,_ Veltrose also yawned widely as he shifted his position so that he was lying down on his side so that he can be more comfortable. After another small yawn, he shielded his eyes from the world and attempted to sleep by listening closely to the songs of the forest. However, he soon opened his eyes again and looked to Shruikan as the youngling tried to get more comfortable as well. _Thank you, Shruikan, for chasing me down out here._

_Like I said, a true friend should never leave those he cares about alone when they need someone to talk to. And I really do care about you, master,_ Shruikan replied as he finally stopped shifting and closed his eyes.

Veltrose continued to stare at him carefully as he seemed to be revisiting more memories. Then he brought his head down again on his paws and covered himself with his wings before finally stating, _It must be the eyes._

Shruikan chuckled quietly.

-X-X-X-X-X-

It was another quiet night back in the village of Crystila. All of the working residents were on their ways home. They could not wait to relax by the fire with their families and discuss how their days went. As they passed by each other on the dirt roads of the small, dusty, but cozy village, they wished each other a "Good night" while promising to "See ya in the mornin'!" All of the residents were quite close to one-another which is a quality that they loved about the small village.

A young man was still in the blacksmith shop. As he looked outside and noticed people beginning to walk home, he turned around and began to untie his apron. "Well, Amelia," he began as he lifted the apron over his head and hung it on a rusty nail of the wooden shack. "Another day done, another night home with family. Will you be okay with your mother tonight?"

Amelia looked up and coughed lightly to avoid the excessive amount of steam from the fire pit after she poured a bucket of water on the flame to extinguish it for the night. "I believe so, Elidor. I have a feeling that we may be becoming a bit closer to each other. I'm beginning to feel like she's actually my mother," she nodded as she, too, took her apron off as well and began to put the tools away that were left on the tables and the floor. "Although I am a bit worried now. She almost passed out last night. She needed to talk to Robert but we couldn't find him. I have to go by his house again on my way home tonight to see if he's finally there so that he can talk with her."

"Well, here's hoping. Good luck with her, Amelia. Will you be okay locking up? I have to rush home right now," Elidor stated as he took off his tool-belt and placed it on the table.

"Yup, I'll be okay. Same time tomorrow?"

"Of course," he promised as he began to walk out the door. "See you tomorrow."

"See ya!"

After a quick wave, Elidor closed the door behind him and began to walk home which was literally next door to the shack. When he entered the house he gave a quick kiss to his mother. "Do you know if Briam still has those old dragon books in his room or did he take them with him on his trip?"

"Oh, I'd imagine he left them. You know how valuable those books are to him, he wouldn't want to bring them with him or he would risk the chance of losing them somewhere," his mother answered as she returned to her cooking. "Check his room if you need them, Elidor."

He nodded, thanked her, and walked to the back of the house to his brother's room. Briam is an odd fellow. He was born a year after Elidor and would always play with him when they were younger. They would always play in the woods and pretend they were master hunters as they would attempt to track some mysterious animals. He even remembers a time when they attempted to find the legendary cave of the village's dragon guardian, Veltrose. But the only thing they found was a family of skunks who took pleasure in giving Briam and Elidor a rather interesting surprise. If Elidor were to remember correctly, he and Briam were grounded for a week for evading chores and searching for a dragon instead. He smiled at the memories.

When Elidor came upon Briam's room, he carefully opened the door as if he was afraid that Briam would be in the room already even though he knew fairly well that he was gone on some hunting trip. The door opened to a dark, depressing room in which the only source of light available was from the mysterious soft rays of the moon shining through the one window on the other side. He sighed as he remembered when things began to go South with his brother as he began searching for the dragon books in the dark room. While they were out searching in the woods, he and his brother had become separated. While he was searching for his brother, he suddenly heard a roar off in the distance. Fearing that his brother was in danger, he immediately broke out into a run to save his brother, but then he tripped and fell down into a hole and knocked his head hard against a rock. Right before he blacked out, he could have sworn that he had seen a large white shape descending from the skies towards him. When he had woken up, he was back in his bed at home. His mother had told him that he was found right on the outskirts of the village. His brother was home as well, but he was faring much worst. He looked as if he had just experienced a living nightmare and kept on talking about a massive silver dragon in the woods with yellowed claws. After that day, Briam changed for the worst.

After searching every single book on the shelves and unsuccessfully finding the one that he was looking for, Elidor sighed and turned around as he began to search the chest at the foot of his brother's bed. He began to remember how exactly his brother had changed. Briam's attitude changed from that of a happy and healthy child to one of a frightened and angered demeanor. At the age of fourteen, he began to heavily exercise and began to train with a sword that he and his mother could not figure out where he had gotten it from. Soon, he became stronger than his older brother. He then began to go on trips that he claimed were for hunting, but the only thing he would bring with him was his sword and a pair of silver gloves. When confronted, Briam would simply state that everything will be okay but that Elidor should really mind his own business. Every time he would go on these trips, he would always appear frightened. And when he returned unannounced, he would look as if he had just stared death in the face. Elidor had promised himself that he would figure out what happened to his brother one day. He just does not know how he would do that.

Elidor closed the lid of the chest as he became angered and collapsed on the ground on his back beside his brother's bed. He began to massage his temple as he tried to figure out where the dragon books could be. But then, he turned his head to his side and caught something under his brother's bed. He pulled out what appeared to be a small wooden chest. When he opened it, he became excited when he realized that it was the dragon books. He knew exactly what he wanted to find out. He remembers a time when his brother stated that dragon-riders were marked with a silver-marking on them. He pushed aside the books on dragonology and pulled out the one labeled "The Legend of the Riders" in an ancient font that appeared to have been written by an artisan as he saw the way that the lines of the letters just looped around each other creating outlines of flying dragons beneath the letters. He sat down cross-legged on the wooden floor and placed the book in his lap. After marveling the front of the tome for a minute, he opened it up and kept on skipping pages, looking for a very specific one.

He remembered that Amelia stated that her mother had a strange marking on the palm of her hand and he has a crazy idea that he might just know what the marking is. But he wants to confirm it first to stop the idea from constantly bothering him. Finally, he found the page that he was looking for. It had a drawing of a human hand with the palm facing upwards. On the palm of the hand was a silver-marking which looked to be a quick, smooth sketch of a dragon in flight if one were to look closely enough. Otherwise, with a quick glance, it appears to be just another burn mark. Quickly, Elidor attempted to commit the drawing to memory. But then he heard footsteps behind him and he rapidly whipped his head around to stare at the silent intruder.

"Evening, brother. May I ask what you are doing with my treasured books?" His brother was staring right back at him with an eyebrow raised and a suspicious frown on his face. Elidor could not help but notice his hand upon his sword that was tied to his belt.

Elidor swallowed his nervousness that he always seems to get when confronting his own brother. "I…I was curious about something and just had to check this quickly."

"Oh?" his brother asked in a mock-question. He took off his belt with the sword on it and placed it on his belt.

"I would have asked you but you were not here. I had no idea that you were coming home tonight, Briam," he stated as he stood and placed the chest on his brother's bed and gently put the books back where he found them in the order that they were in. "See? No harm done. I wasn't going to damage them or anything. Just read them." He then closed the chest.

"Did you find the information you were looking for?" Briam asked as he then began to take off his cloak and hang it on the post of his bed.

"Yes, yes thank you, brother," Elidor replied as he carefully observed his brother and sighed.

"Something wrong, Elidor?" Briam asked as he glanced at his older brother while taking his boots off.

Elidor chose his words carefully before continuing. "I was just remembering something from the past." Then, in a brotherly act, he hugged his younger sibling which shocked Briam, but he did nothing to stop it. Elidor then released his brother from the hug and turned to leave the room.

Briam then sighed and collapsed on his bed. "What have I gotten myself into?" he asked whoever would listen, unknowing that his brother was still outside his door and had heard him.

Sighing, Elidor turned and left.

* * *

**All signed reviewers will receive a preview of chapter 13. I'm sorry but I can't reply to unsigned reviewers to give you the promised preview. Wish I could though.**

Thank you, everybody for sticking with me with this story. You are all amazing! Please vote on the poll in my profile! =D

Sincerely,

_The Aviator_


	13. Together at Last?

FASTEST...UPDATE...EVER! I LOVE SUMMER VACATION! lol By the way, just graduated from high school today. Think of this as a graduation present from me to you. =] I would like to take this time to say congratulations to the Class of 2011. We're so nice, we're number one TWICE! lol

I would also like to thank everybody for their _amazing _support for this little fanfic. You have all given me the confidence and motivation to begin writing my first original fantasy novel. I have _so _many ideas for it. Hopefully everything turns out okay.

And guess what folks, my grandmother is okay. It turns out that it's not cancerous at all (although they're still gonna check her to make sure that what _was_ cancerous did not spread). Thanks for all the well wishes, folks!

**ALL _SIGNED_ REVIEWERS WILL RECEIVE AN UPDATE OF CHAPTER 14! Just allow my time to write it, please.**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle under any circumstances, the book was written by Christopher Paolini and published by the KNOPF Publishing Company. This fanfic is a mere extension of my twisted but awesome imagination. I only own the plot and my original characters and places._**

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It was one of those dark, quiet nights in the small village of Crystila. The skies were clear and showed absolutely no threats of snow in the near future. However, it was still quite cold outside as evident by the villagers bundling themselves in tight in their beds, preserving their warmth. Babies lay in their cribs, cocooned earlier by their mothers as they slept soundly without interruption. All of the windows were closed to capture the precious warm air inside the house so that not a soul would freeze. Every now and then, the wind would blow which would result in the wooden frames of the small houses to groan in complaint as they would push back against the wind in protest, protecting the slumbering souls inside.

However, there was one individual that cannot seem to take advantage of the serene and peaceful night. He makes one more turn in his bed and ends up on his back as he stares straight up onto the ceiling. The one window in his room provides a soft, whitish light emanating from Her Majesty: the moon. The peaceful light shines onto his face, causing his eyes to pop open as he groaned out of annoyance. The young man sat up in bed and cradled his head in his hands whilst his elbows rested upon his lap that is currently covered haphazardly by a thick woolen blanket.

_What could Elidor have possibly been looking for in my dragon books?_ Elidor thought to himself. He stared at his sword that was currently lying against the footboard of his bed and he sighed in a tired manner. Not of fatigue, but of the constant tough decisions that me makes numerous times.

The sword has a simple design. A long, thin silver blade ends in a curved point with a slight depression running down the middle of the threatening blade. The blade itself is topped with a typical cross-guard that is made of brass. The main difference that sets this sword apart from others is the fact that there are two serpentine dragons etched into the handle of the sword. Their long bodies twist around the handle while each tail ends on the two sides of the cross-guard. Briam feels a sudden chill go up his spine as he remembers how he had acquired the weapon. He frowns as he also remembers the promise that he had made when he received the sword in exchange for the protection of his family.

_Will I be protecting them still if I were to see for myself what Elidor was looking for? _he asks himself. He slowly lifts the cover from his lap and jumps silently onto the wooden floor; socked feet sliding slightly before Briam regained control of his footing (all residents in the village wear socks while asleep lest they run the risk of losing their toes from the cold!). He begins pacing around his room as he tried to come up with a sound decision. He does not know the type of information that he could potentially come across if he were to find out. If it was crucial, then he may have to report it and he most definitely does not wish to get anyone in his family in trouble. But then again, if _he_ were to find out for himself, _he_ may become angered and could kill Elidor. Another chill went up his spine as he remembered the last time he sent out information on someone being disloyal. From what his mother had told him, it was not a pretty sight when the secret police came.

_That's it,_ he decides. _I have to find out for myself before that thing does. But what will I do with the information?_ He stops his pacing as he shakes his head. _I'll figure it out when I cross that path later._ Briam then gently places his hand on the brass doorknob and, ever so slowly, turns it. He successfully pushes open the door without a squeak and he slips into the dark shadows of the hallway. Luckily, his brother's room is right next to his own so he will not have to walk on the creaky floorboards of the hallway for long.

Briam stood in front of his brother's door and carefully placed his ear against the wood. Smiling at the first sound of a snore, he felt that it was safe to enter so he placed a steady hand on the doorknob and slowly turned it. He then pushed the wooden door ajar, just enough to allow him entrance into the dark room. He looked to his right and noticed Elidor fast asleep in his bed under the covers. He strode over to the bed by the headboard and looked down. His brother was facing the wall away from him. Briam then silently argued with himself whether or not this is the best idea. Nodding in silent agreement, he lifted his hand over his brother's head.

"_Draumr kópa,"_ he whispered. His brother's dreams suddenly played in his mind as if they were his own. Fortunately for Briam, the dreams happen to be of what Elidor had been looking for in his dragon books. _Now why would you need to know what the gedwëy ignasia looks like?_ he asked himself. Curious, he began to dive a bit deeper into his brother's subconscious, searching for the answer to his question. He eventually sees the memory of him talking to the daughter of Akarli—Amelia, was it?—the day before while he was working in the forge.

**"_Feel better?"_**

**"_Yeah, a little." Again, she donned a quizzical expression upon her face. "But there is just one thing that I do not understand about her though." She looked upon him as he gestured for her to go on. "Last night, I went into her room, and I saw a strange mark on the palm of her hand. It was kind of weird. It was as if somebody took hot metal and pushed it against her hand…but it was silver…"_**

**_Elidor looked at her with a serious expression on his face. "Umm…a…a silver mark? Are…are you sure? On her palm?"_**

**_Amelia looked at his face. "Yeeaaahhhh…," she answered slowly. She laughed a little, "I mean, it's kind of hard to miss something like that, you know?"_**

"What do you think you're doing?" a feminine voice suddenly spoke behind Briam.

He lost his concentration and the flow of magic linking their minds instantly stopped. Briam cautiously turned around and lowered his hand. He looked to the door that he had left slightly opened. Only now, it was completely opened allowing him to see the silhouette of a woman in the doorway. "Mother?" he whispers for fear of waking his brother up.

"I'll ask you again, what were you doing?" she commanded with a silent voice that still had an edge to it; a quality that all mothers seem to have when they want to know the truth and not just a bunch of lies. He did not have to see her to know that she had a raised eyebrow and a disapproving frown upon her face.

"I was…," he quickly thought of an excuse. His eyes darted around the room quickly and he faked a small cough and swallowed to buy him a few precious seconds to allow him to come up with a fake reason as to why he was in his brother's room. Despite his training, he is still her son and like all sons, at least once in their lifetime (usually a lot more), a mother can be a very frightening and intimidating individual…this is one of those times. "I wanted to talk to Elidor. I just needed his help to figure something out."

The mother stood quietly for a moment. This made Briam nervous which was actually surprising to him since he trained himself to not feel fear when in danger…but this was his _mother._ A woman that is extremely unpredictable. She could be smiling at you outwardly, but in her head, she could be shouting curses at you that would make even a hardened, experienced sailor blush. Finally, she turned and headed out the door allowing Briam to release the breath that he had not even known that he had been holding. However, that changed when she looked over her shoulder, motioned with her finger to follow her, and stated, "Come with me to the kitchen." She then disappeared behind the wall as she walked to the kitchen, the only sign that she was actually there being the sound of retreating footsteps on the incredibly creaky wooden planks of the floor.

_Damn,_ Briam thought. He then silently trudged onwards out into the hallway and silently closed the door behind him. He looked down the hall and saw a small flickering light of a candle that his mother had lit. Once he entered the kitchen, he saw his mother pouring two cups of left over tea from earlier that day. She motioned for him to sit down at the table which he did. She then walked over to the table, set down a cup of tea in front of her son, and then sat down as well on the opposite end of the furniture while holding the cup in her hands. Briam could see the candlelight on the table flickering light onto a ring on one of her fingers that his father had given her on the day he had proposed. Before he could think further on that topic, she began to speak.

"Now tell me what you were _really_ doing in your brother's room, Bri," she asked in a soft, gentle voice while using her son's childhood nickname. She stared straight into his eyes. Although she seemed calm, the son could not tell what was going on behind his mother's calculating eyes. For all he knows, she could be analyzing his every movement, every involuntary twitch or hike in his breathing pattern. He looked down into his cup filled with the cooled, brownish liquid wondering if she would gain some sort of hint if he were to take a quick drink. Deciding it best to play it safe, he thought against it.

"Like I said, I just wanted to talk to my brother."

"Why didn't you talk to me?"

"I didn't think you'd be awake."

"Well, I'm awake now."

"Yeah, but…," he shook his head. "Why is this so important to you?" he questioned in a stressed manner. Forgetting about his earlier decision, he took a quick drink of the tea. The way that the smooth liquid poured down his parched throat made him feel refreshed and slightly calmer in front of his intimidating mother.

She sighed heavily as if she was releasing some stress as well. "Because, despite what you may think, I really do care about you. I worry about you and fear what you may be doing when you go on those little hunting trips. I want to protect you from all of the dangers out there…I just don't know what's going on anymore." She rubbed the fatigue from her eyes. "Please, just tell me what's going on, Bri."

Briam also let out a tiresome sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I already told you, I…"

"And don't give me that crap about everything being okay because I know damn well that everything is sure as hell _not_ okay, Briam!" she harshly interrupted in a whisper so as not to wake Elidor or any of the neighbors. Her eyes glared at her son as if she were attempting to seek the truth out behind his deceitful gaze. "I want the truth," she demanded but in a softer and slower tone.

The boy's eyes widened in fright. Whenever his mother cursed, the recipient of those words better listen _and _tell the truth unless they do not mind getting embarrassed by being _handled_ by the woman whether it be getting their foot stomped, getting slapped, or literally bringing the man down to his knees and grabbing hold of his family's jewels. Although Briam knew for a fact that she would not harm her children, she would still punish them in any way she saw fit. Quickly, he began to try to think up a way to give up half of the truth rather than the whole thing. "I'm just…trying to find a way to protect us," he solemnly whispered as he cast his gaze down upon his clasped hands.

Her eyes softened considerably. She reached across the table to unclench her son's hands and to hold one of them in a comforting and loving hold. "Sometimes, we do some things because we think we're helping. But, we fail to see the truth in our decisions."

Briam slowly looked down at their hands and then looked up into her mother's eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Well…did you hear what happened a few days ago?" she asked. "We had a raid. The king's dragons came and…took care of those that were involved in organizing a way to disband the king. Strangely enough, those were the _only _people that the dragons killed." She clenched his hand tighter in her grasp when she saw her son look back down giving her all the information she needed. "Surely, someone had to tell the king about what was going on." She felt a twitch in her son's hand. She narrowed her eyes slightly and put a bit of an edge back in her voice. "Families lost loved ones in this small village. Friends were lost as well. Did you know about this, Briam?"

He shook his head once, but the flicker from the candlelight allowed her to see a single, sparkling tear drop out of the corner of her son's eyes.

"Are you sure, Briam?" she asked in a softer tone.

He then pulled his hand out of her grasp and immediately stood up, pushing his chair back which caused a loud and demeaning screech to permeate the quiet little house. He turned around and placed his arm on the wall and let his forehead rest on it while he closed his eyes, unable to look at his mother as he felt shame. After the echo of the screech disbanded, the little house fell into another quiet silence, although this silence appeared to be quite loud and noticeable. The mother looked at the back of her son as she patiently waited for an answer.

Briam tried to control his breathing as he imagined the bloodshed that his hometown had experienced. Images of people that he had once previously talked to and their motionless bodies crossed his mind. Tears poured out of his eyes as these thoughts flashed through his mind. Guilt continuously accumilated until eventually, he could not take it anymore. "It was me. I'm so sorry, mother. I'm sorry," he whispered. He still refused to look at her.

"I understand, Briam," she quietly replied.

"No, you don't!" he shouted in a whisper. "Innocent people…_killed._ But I did it to protect us. But I want to protect _everybody_ as well but…I just don't know _how,_" he tearfully explained.

She then got up slowly and approached her son. When she was behind him, she placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him into her arms, allowing his taller frame a supporting hug from her. He laid his head on her shoulder. "I know, Briam. I know everything."

"But how?" he tearfully asked.

She placed a hand on his back and rubbed his shoulders to further comfort him. "Because I am a mother, it's my job to know everything about my children. I know all about you working for the king ever since I first saw you bring that sword home. I just figured that there must be a reason. Knowing your love of this family, I figured you must have made a deal to protect us." She then let go of him to look into his still tear-filled eyes. "That sword, I don't know if you noticed it, but right at the point, there is a symbol. I recognized it as the mark of the king from…before," she ended unsurely. Briam looked at her confusedly as he brought a hand to wipe away the tears from his eyes. "I'll…tell you tomorrow," she answered his silent question.

His mother then reached for his cup on the table and gave it to him to allow him a soothing drink. When he finished, she continued. "Now look, although I'm not happy about what happened, I still understand why you did it. Just know this, you're family isn't as weak as you may think we are," she chuckled. "You're father made sure of that. Anyway, just know that I still love you and I always will. Just go to bed and allow me to think of what to do tonight and I'll tell you about it in the morning, okay?" After he nodded, she continued. "You don't have to be strong for this family; you may be surprised by our history. Elidor knows it, and now you will know about it as well tomorrow. I still love you, Elidor still loves you, and most importantly, somewhere up there, your father still loves you as well, Briam. Now just relax and go to bed."

He then placed his now empty cup down on the table by the still flickering light of the flame on its diminishing candlestick and walked down the hall to his room so that he may try to make another attempt at sleep again.

The mother smiled slightly as she poured a little more tea into her cup and sat back down at the table. _He's trying, Liam, he's really trying,_ she thought to herself as she imagined herself talking to her husband. _He may have been misguided but he's doing all of this just to help us. But rest assured, Liam, I'll steer him in the right direction. Just please help me out as I do this. Please help all of us out._ After she quickly chugged down her tea, she got up and placed the empty cup on the wooden counter. She then turned around, bent down, and gently blew out the light of the candle. She then walked down the hallway to her own room so that she may try to sleep as well. Again, the only sound was the creak of the floorboards following her footsteps as she entered her bedroom, closed the door, lied down, and closed her eyes so that she may dream of her husband once again. Her husband…and his shadow.

-X-X-X-X-X-

_Are you sure you do not wish to come with us, Veltrose?_ Shruikan asked his friend. They were currently standing by where the river poured into the frozen lake after winding down from the smaller valley that lead to the small village of where his rider resided. They were together with Eragon, Murtagh, Roran, Arya, Saphira, and Thorn. Angela decided to stay in the cave as she continued to silently ponder things. Of what, no one had a clue. Astarot was also with his brother, Ehecatl. They were still sleeping off their injuries but Veltrose promised Shruikan that he would be okay with them once they awaken.

_No, Shruikan, now stop asking,_ Veltrose chuckled. _This reunion is between you and your rider._

_Then why did you insist that they come?_ the black dragon asked his mentor through a private connection.

_Ehh…moral support,_ he answered uneasily. _Now just go, I'll be fine with the younglings…and the weird one. _He then gently pushed on his former student. _But don't you dare fly, Shruikan! You hear me?_

_Yes, mother,_ he sarcastically responded as he turned around and began to walk with his group. _We'll be back, Veltrose,_ he promised as the group began to trudge down the snow. Veltrose turned around with a last wave of his tail before he crouched down and took off, leaving a small snow storm in his wake as his massive, powerful wings lifted the powdery substance off the ground and left them spinning around each other in the air before eventually settling back down. The white dragon showed off his superior flying skills with lazy loops and spins as he rocketed back to his cave. Shruikan smiled as he watched his friend have fun in his element before he turned back towards his group.

Eragon was on Saphira, again, due to her still not trusting him in not getting into any trouble at all. Eragon, of course, objected to this but at the sight of her frightening, sapphire glare, he suddenly had no qualms and jumped up onto her back. Roran joined him since walking down the length of the river would be incredibly difficult due to the amount of snow that was on the ground from the many snow storms that passed. Saphira walked on with a satisfied smirk upon her muzzle.

Thorn, however, was walking behind Saphira and could not stop looking at her _magnificent blue-scaled beauty. Her scales look to have been sculpted by a master artist. Her voice is so silky smooth, and her laugh…_

_Um, Thorn?_ Murtagh called as he looked down at his faithful red-scaled friend with a questioning look upon his face. _What were you thinking?_

_Damn!_ the red dragon cursed as he realized that, because of their link, some of his thoughts and feelings poured into his rider's mind. Thankfully, nobody else seemed to have received his…_private_ thoughts as well. _You tell anyone and I will kill you in your sleep,_ he threatened his rider.

Murtagh sighed before bringing a hand down and began to lightly rub his friend's neck. _You really should think of telling her, you know,_ he wisely advised. _If you don't, then this is just going to keep on eating at your heart, Thorn._

The dragon bowed his neck down and focused his eyes on the sparkling ice-crystals beneath him. _I know, my friend. I know,_ he pouted (if dragons could, in fact, show such displeasure).

Murtagh then began to think as they continued to walk. Thorn brought his gaze back onto the object of his conflicting thoughts. _You know, _Murtagh began. _I'm no expert at this at all, but perhaps you should show her you like her before you actually tell her._

_Oh? _Thorn asked as he looked straight forward, clearly interested in what his rider had to say. _And how should I do that?_

_By…hunting for her, or by doing little things such as warming the spot that she sleeps in before she lies down…or doing other small things to show your appreciation of her friendship. Who knows? Perhaps she'll notice it and confront you, thus saving you the trouble of having to initiate the conversation, _he thought.

_Perhaps,_ he returned. _Maybe even tell her that she looks…pretty once in a while…?_

_Exactly,_ his rider affirmed. He then noticed the object of his dragon's focus. He then coughed nervously before he continued. _Thorn?_

_Yes?_ the red dragon answered as he continued to subconsciously stare ahead.

_You're, umm…,_ Murtagh had to stop to figure out how exactly he should word this. _You're staring at Saphira rather intently. At the base of her tail to be more specific,_ he continued as he brought his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose out of embarrassment.

Without even thinking of what he was saying, Thorn simply asked, _And…?_

…_she noticed,_ Murtagh continued. He tried to hide his gaze from the sapphire dragon's questioning stare along with Roran's and Eragon's smirk as they both looked back at the red dragon as well. Shruikan merely rolled his eyes at his young charges' amusing antics. Even Arya, who was sitting behind Murtagh, seemed to crack a smile (a small one, of course, can't have her showing much emotions after all).

Thorn's eyes suddenly widened as he began stuttering on his words as he tried to come up with an excuse for him staring at her rear end. _Sorry,_ he finally projected. _I…it looks nice…no, wait!_ he stopped himself but the damage was already done. Roran and Eragon burst out laughing. Shruikan shook his head side-to-side and tried to hide his own laugh by snorting. _I meant to say that _you_ look nice, not…that. I mean, not that it _doesn't_ look nice because it really, really does. Damnit! _he, again, cursed as he realized what he had just said. He then figured that perhaps he should just remain silent and look away from Saphira and, instead, look at the river.

Saphira could not help but chuckle lightly herself. If dragons could blush, Saphira's cheeks would rival her admirer's scales. And Thorn? Well, he would most likely be thanking the dragon gods that he was born with already red scales.

Shruikan could not help but to smirk at Thorn's words. _Come now, Thorn. Surely I taught you a lot better than that,_ he chuckled. _Remember my lessons on the anatomy of a female?_ he reminded him just to see his reaction. Of course, this conversation only took place on a private link between him and Thorn. Shruikan can only imagine what Saphira would have done had she heard.

Thorn's head simply lowered as he walked at a slower rate to allow a larger distance between him and Saphira. Shruikan, feeling sorry for the young one, walked alongside him so that he can better comfort him. _Just tell her, lad. You never know what could happen unless you at least try,_ he attempted to reason with him.

Thorn simply sighed. His breath was clearly visible as it entered the cold atmosphere. Smoke churned out of his nostrils and twisted and turned as it made its way towards the gathering dark and imposing clouds above them. Shruikan frowned as he saw the churning clouds above them. _Not today, please. Don't you dare snow today,_ he growled lightly to himself. He then looked back at the red dragon at his side as he tried to cheer him up. Unknown to him, Eragon, Roran, and Saphira were having an entirely different conversation.

"So you mean to tell me," Roran whispered to Eragon, "that Shruikan's rider has absolutely no memory of him? Whatsoever?" he asked incredulously. Eragon nodded.

"Aye," he answered. "I wanted to tell him, but I just imagined his reaction. I mean, just imagine the scenario. You thought that your rider has been dead only to find out that she is actually _alive._ Motivated, you journey to a whole different country so that you can find her and try to reconnect with her after all these years only to realize that she does not remember you at all. It's not going to be a very good situation, Roran. Not at all,"

_Which is why I believe it would be much better if you were to have told him, Eragon. He's not going to be happy at all when he realizes this_ _once his rider flees or even faints at his feet. I know that I certainly would not be very happy at all,_ Saphira shared as she continued to walk alongside the slightly frozen river.

Eragon remained silent as he listened to the river as if it would give him the answer that he needs. In some areas, there were breaks in the ice which would show the crystal-clean mountain water rushing through as it sped past bends and turns as well as splashing around the occasional protruding rock. He then looked at the environment around him. The river cut through the valley like a desert snake creating little valleys of its own in the sand. It was quiet. The only sound was from the river, the birds that would hang around the holes in the ice, waiting for a fish to jump out, and the sounds of the dragons as they continued to make their way through the soft snow.

This really was Eragon's favorite weather. It reminded him of the farm that he had grown up on back in his hometown of Carvahall. He remembered how sometimes, he would just look out his bedroom window to gaze at how the vast, dreary landscape of the dead fields after they have been harvested changed into an amazing landscape of ice and snow. He was reminded of how he and Roran would go outside to have snowball fights. But mostly, he would just look outside and let it all calm him down as his mind was free to wander.

_Eragon?_ Saphira called worriedly out to her partner-of-her-heart.

_I'm just thinking, Saphira,_ he replied as he continued to look at his surroundings. _I'm just trying to figure things out._

_Is this what you have been doing for the entire journey? _she calmly asked.

_Yes,_ he answered. _It is._

_I know how difficult the decision must be, _she tried to soothe him. _On one hand, you want to keep your friend happy with the knowledge that he is getting closer to be getting back together with his rider and you do not want to destroy his elated feelings. While on the other, you do not want to see him hurt._

_But what would you do, Saphira?_ he asked as he attempted to seek for advice so that he may consider it in his difficult decision.

_Honestly, I would have just told him so that he could have figured out what to do when he finally finds her. But it is already much too late,_ she sighed as she began to walk on a small incline.

Eragon noticed the feeling of his center of gravity changing and looked ahead. He cursed inwardly as he noticed that at the crest of the hill, black smoke could be visible from what he assumed was coming out of various chimneys of the village. _Damn, I thought we had more time!_ He then began to quickly think of what to do as they approached the crest of the hill and even closer to their destination. He looked behind him and noticed that Shruikan was still conversing with Thorn as they walked.

When they were finally on the top of the small hill, Eragon was able to see the village for himself. The snowy valley trail winded down before the valley opened up slightly. Jagged mountains surrounded the village on all sides providing the perfect natural protection from those wanting to cause harm yet not knowing of the trail to enter the quiet town. Several houses could be seen in the village with smoke expelled from the chimneys from the fires that provide warmth to those that reside in the houses. The buildings themselves were small and did not look like anything special. However, despite their diminutive size, they still looked cozy. The wood that made up the buildings looked to be quite old and worn down by the difficult weather that it always has to stand up to. Everything in the village was covered with the tiny white crystalline substance making it hide the look of the ugly wood of the houses.

Children can be seen running around the village as they play some made-up game with each other. Their laugh can be heard by Eragon and Saphira. They see men hauling a large, freshly-fallen evergreen tree from the woods so that they can cut it up for firewood. Everybody that was out and about were wearing thick, heavy coats and it was quite comical to see the children fall down and attempt to get up as the thick coat made it quite awkward to move. It was not unlike a turtle that wound up upside-down on its shell. The village looked peaceful and it reminded the young dragon-rider of Carvahall in the winter. He smiled inwardly as the memories poured into his mind once again. However, one thing that Eragon noticed was that it appears that some buildings had recently caught fire. This bothered him greatly but he figured that perhaps it was simply an accident with the fireplace.

The group was looking down into the group for several minutes before they suddenly noticed everybody suddenly running for their homes. Men quickly ran towards the children to round them up and quickly bring them to their respective homes. Soon, there was absolutely no one outside in the village as everybody barricaded themselves inside their homes.

"What just happened?" Roran asked from behind Eragon to which he simply responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Eragon…where's Shruikan?" Murtagh questioned atop Thorn who padded beside Saphira while being careful so as not to attract her attention.

Alarmed, Eragon looked behind him for the familiar massive black-scaled dragon. _Saphira?_ he called but she merely captured Eragon's attention with a snort.

_Found him,_ she responded as she pointed with her tail down the trail as a familiar black shape bounded down the trail towards a single house that was the closest to the woods. _And guess who he's going to find. _She narrowed her eyes as she imagined what may happen once his rider finally meets him.

"Damnit, we have to follow him!" Eragon shouted. Saphira then took off into the skies followed by Thorn as they attempted to chase Shruikan down who seems to have been overcome by the necessity to be with his rider that he immediately left without even thinking of the meeting first.

Shruikan, however, was filled with nothing but memories and ecstatic thoughts as he imagined what he would do once he finally met up again with his rider. Perhaps they would reconnect and share what happened with each other when they were separated. She might even show him her family!_ I wonder how many younglings she has…or who her husband is,_ he excitedly thought as he eventually ended up in front of her house. He slowed down to a walk as he cautiously approached the wooden building. He could tell through his mental link that he once thought was gone forever that this is definitely the building that his precious Akarli resided in. He was too caught up by the circumstances that he did not notice that there was absolutely no one outside in the village anymore. He did not even notice frightening individuals cautiously looking out their windows from behind curtains at the frightening creature that has surely come to take more prisoners. Perhaps even kill them right here in the village.

He did, however, notice the shouts and roars coming from the skies above him. He looked up when he noticed Saphira and Thorn here to see him meet his rider, or so he thought.

_Shruikan!_ Saphira roared as she heavily landed in front of him while Thorn did the same next to her. Snow was kicked up from their wings as they flared before landing. _You mustn't meet her yet, please! _she begged which greatly confused the onyx dragon.

Eragon hopped off of Saphira. "You do not know how she will react after an absence of many years," he lied to get him to stop.

The dark creature narrowed his eyes. _You do not understand what I am going through!_ he growled as he narrowed his eyes at them, smoke billowing out of his nostrils in anger. _I have been waiting for this moment for weeks since I first heard that she is alive. Do you have any idea of how many nights I stayed awake in Galbatorix's castle while mentally berating myself for having dropped my rider during a storm? I thought I killed her! And now you want me to wait when I am literally standing outside her door? I don't care how she will react after years of my absence. I just want to be together with her at last so that I can just apologize to her!_

Saphira was about to tell Shruikan the truth when her rider placed his palm upon her muzzle. "Wait," he ordered. He then looked upon the ground as he quickly went through the potential consequences should he do what he is thinking of. "Fine, Shruikan. Go ahead. Just know that what is about to happen is…," he paused as he again thought of how Shruikan may react towards him. "…it's all my fault for not telling you the truth earlier."

Shruikan stared questioningly at the young rider in front of him before looking at Saphira who simply looked away, unable to watch what might happen. Roran simply looked downwards while everybody else looked confused at what is going on. Slowly, he turned back towards the small (to his massive frame, anyway) wooden door that separated him from his past. He brought his tail around and slowly knocked three times at the door and waited.

Finally, the door opened up to a beautiful young woman that looked as if she had just awakened. She was dressed in what appeared to be sleepwear and her hair was a mess. But what struck Shruikan the most was the absolute fear in her eyes.

_Akarli,_ he whispered so as not to frighten the already petrified individual.

Ignoring the fact that she could understand this beast in front of her, she stuttered, "G…get away f…from my house, you beast!" Shruikan's eyes widened but before he could call her name again she continued. "Leave me and my children alone be…before I kill you!" She then brandished a typical kitchen knife that she held behind her as if it would keep away a massive creature such as Shruikan. "Don't get any closer…leave! Just go away!" When Shruikan finally stepped back, she appeared satisfied. With a final "Go away!" she slammed the door shut and he could hear her lock it in several places.

The dragon in question turned around and stared at Eragon and Saphira with wide eyes but they both looked down to the ground ashamedly. "I wanted to tell you, Shruikan. Tell you that she has amnesia from that fall. She doesn't remember you. I'm so sorry," he slowly apologized.

Shruikan simply shook his head as if unbelieving that this had just happened. He then walked into the woods that were close to the house and disappeared from view. The sky suddenly rumbled as, instead of snow, rain began to fall.

* * *

Like it? Hate it? Have any guggestions? Please drop anything you have to say to me in a review (except flames). I greatly appreciate the attention that this fic is getting. =] Please vote in my poll! See ya in the next chapter!

Sincerely,

_The Aviator_


	14. A Tango Between Dragons

And yet, another fast update by yours truly. ;-) And yes, I do consider two weeks to still be a fast update. After all, have you _seen_ how slow my updates use to be? What was it, like one chapter ever three-four months if I'm lucky? lol Thank God for summer vacation, eh? By the way, this is yet another lengthy chapter at 7,000+ words. Ain't you all just lucky? And not only that, we finally have ourselves some action! WOO-HOO! FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, BLOOD! lol

Anyway, can you all do me a favor and answer to at least _some_ of the questions that I have at the very end of this chapter? It would really help a lot. =D

**ALL _SIGNED_ REVIEWERS WILL RECEIVE A PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 15!**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle under any circumstances, the book was written by Christopher Paolini and published by the KNOPF Publishing Company. This fanfic is a mere extension of my twisted but awesome imagination. I only own the plot and my original characters and places._**

* * *

_Hmm,_ the massive creature thought as he had lifted his head from the luxurious rug in the dark room of the castle in Frostloral. The only light in the room came from the moonlight shining through the skylight of his throne-room. Fraener shifted so that he was on his stomach instead of on his side and then lifted his massive head up as he continued to think. His long and powerful tail swished behind him, brushing aside some of the bones from his past meals aside which resulted in a hollowed out sound echoing throughout the high-ceilinged room. A bit of dust was kicked up into the air but went unnoticed by the current ruler of Frostloral as he continued to ponder what he had just found out after waking up in the middle of the night.

_So, my Silver Hand plans on withholding this valuable piece of information from me, does he now? _he smirked to himself as he brought his tail around him (while knocking around more rotting bones) and scratched his chin with the tip of the lengthy appendage. _Well, now that just won't do, now will it? But how do I go on about this?_ he questioned. The large, silver dragon then rose up onto his feet and began walking around the room, ignoring the sound of bones being crushed beneath his weight as he walked around. He took in a small breath and blew a fireball into what seemed like a random direction of the room. After a smirk when he saw that his aim was true and that he had, in fact, lit up an old gothic-style torch that resided on the wall, he turned around to face his wall map of his kingdom.

_According to that fool, there is, in fact, a dragon rider that still lives in this country…and she has evaded my claws all these years. _He began to growl as his claws unsheathed and began to gouge out deep grooves into the stone ground. A shrill screech rang through the air but the silver beast ignored it. His growl intensified in volume. _But this…Akarli won't be standing for long. No, she will be lying down in a deep little hole in the ground. Or…, _he began as his gaze shifted from the little village of Crystila to the Kodiak Mountains, a range of treacherous terrain that even a dragon would think twice to fly over._ Or perhaps the Banishment would be a better suiting punishment._ He chuckled lightly as his yellowed claws stopped creating the blasphemous screeching and, instead, lightly clicked on the floor as he walked back to his carpet in the center of the room.

Suddenly, the massive doors to his throne-room slammed open as another dragon barged in. "I heard a shrill sound, master. Is everything okay?" he asked once he skidded to a hault.

Fraener looked to him with a scowl upon his face. "Yes, everything is okay! I'm a dragon, I could take care of any danger that crosses my…" he then paused as he thought of something.

The other dragon, with the firelight flickering against his light, dusty gray scales, looked at him with a questioning gaze. "Lord Fraener?"

"Actually, I want you to get one of our strongest warrior dragons and tell him to meet me here. I have a little assignment for him," he chuckled evilly, his laugh like gravel falling down a rock slide. The younger dragon nodded and, without any hesitation, turned tail, and walked out of the throne room to do his assigned duty.

The evil dragon then lied down upon his carpet. _And once I have Akarli captured, Shruikan will be forced to come "rescue" his dear rider._ He then snorted as he lied his head back down on the rug. A toothy grin then formed upon his muzzle. _And then, along with that fool of a human that betrayed me, I can…dispatch him…_

-X-X-X-X-X-_  
_

Thorn sighed as he saw his own master—Shruikan—walk dejectedly into the woods while leaving muddy footprints in the snow as the rain softly fell down to the earth. He could feel the cold water droplets sliding off of his heated scales and falling down into the snow. He could see that the rain caused the interesting white substance to slowly turn into a depressing, gray slush. In some areas, the snow dissolved with the rain thus creating uninteresting, muddy patches on the ground. It was as if the whole world was crying for his master. The red dragon imagined how Shruikan must have felt being completely forgotten by his own rider.

He looked at the group around him and noticed that, slowly, they began to trek back up the now muddy hill. Saphira did not even seem to bother with flying. Instead, her head was bowed in shame towards the ground; her sparkling blue sapphire eyes were hidden from the world.

_Thorn?_ a voice worriedly called from behind him.

The ruby-red dragon turned and noticed that his own rider looked at him with concern visible on his face. He had not begun to walk with the others that were not even past the halfway point yet. _Yes, Murtagh?_ he replied as he looked again to where his master had gone. The black dragon was no longer visible as he had disappeared deep into the woods of the evergreen trees.

_Are you coming?_ Murtagh asked when he noticed his best friend constantly looking towards the woods. Murtagh then looked behind him at his group of friends. _Everybody is already going back to the cave._

Thorn then looked at the small, wooden building that houses his master's rider. He suddenly felt like confronting her but he knew that his tirade would fall upon deaf ears. He saw the curtain's move from one of the windows from the corner of his eyes and figured that Akarli must have been checking to see if the offending dragons were gone yet. He snorted as he saw absolutely no need for her to be afraid of him and Saphira, much less her own dragon._ I…don't think I should go just yet,_ he answered hesitatingly as he, again, faced the woods._ I think I'm going to check to see if Shuikan is alright. I feel like I owe him at least that much for everything that he had done for us while we were in Galbatorix's captivity._

Murtagh nodded with a small smile. _I think he would like that very much, my friend,_ he said. He then slowly began to back up towards the hill where everybody was climbing. _I suppose I'll see you back at Veltrose's cave?_

Thorn simply nodded. With a final good-bye, Murtagh jogged up the hill to be with the group while Thorn began to follow his master's footsteps into the woods and away from the source of the problem. He did not look back at the small wooden cottage behind him as he entered the mysterious boundary of the forests.

It had been approximately ten or fifteen minutes since Shruikan had first entered the forest making Thorn hope that his master has stopped somewhere to wallow in his misery. With this thought in mind, he trudged on through the thick forest of large coniferous trees. Due to his thick red scales, he was not at all bothered by the pine-needles on the trees brushing against his natural armor nor was his travel hindered by the muddy ground as it continued to rain more heavily. It was not a full blown storm as of yet, but occasionally, there would be a flash of lightning lighting up the cloudy sky for a brief second followed by a far-off clap of thunder a few seconds later indicating to the young dragon that the actual storm was still far off.

At times, Thorn would have to use his powerful long neck to push aside irritating branches that blocked his path. Due to the ground becoming muddier, he could see the unmistakable shape of footprints belonging to a large dragon here and there indicating to the young one that he was hot on the trail of his good friend. As he blinked the annoying rain water away from his vermillion eyes, he began to remember of his time in Galbatorix's captivity as he spent his time with the elder. He remembered how Shruikan would always snap at him and insult him when in the presence of the king. But, in Galbatorix's absence, he would continuously apologize to his young charge so much that Thorn would have to beg him to stop.

The red dragon growled out of annoyance as his hind foot sunk deeply into an especially muddy puddle due to his weight. Although it was easy for him to use his powerful leg muscles to quickly pull his paw out of the offending, time-wasting pit and shake it free of the viscous, hellish substance, he still berated himself for not being too careful of where he was going. With a final glare at the puddle with eyes that were sure to set the puddle in a blaze worthy of hell (at least in the youngling's mind), he continued on his journey.

Despite his recent mental assault directed at himself, he still allowed his mind to wander at the dark times that seems to have had a little bit of a good, shining light. He smiled as he remembered how Shruikan would teach him of what his master had taught him when his master had been his age. However, there _were_ times when Shruikan was angered at Thorn. For example, there was a time when Thorn, as he recalls in embarrassment and shame, became angered at a servant girl just for not bringing him enough food at one point. The young dragon's head bowed as he walked when he remembered the horrid things he had said in his youthful fury.

The servant girl was cowering in front of him in a corner while he was flinging insults at her. When he had been about to strike the girl, an incredibly loud and powerful roar had ended his tirade as a powerful black tail smacked him in the muzzle which resulted in him being thrown on his back. When the young one had looked up at his master, he found himself cowering under the angered gaze of Shruikan's slit eyes just as the young girl was who had, at that point, run away. His master told him that he was acting like a selfish hatchling that did not get what he wanted. He taught him the meaning of respect for others and that having someone deathly afraid of him would haunt him in the future. Finally, when Shruikan found the servant girl again, he forced Thorn to apologize to her (although she was still afraid). Of course, Thorn was angered at Shruikan for forcing him to do this and embarrassing him in front of a slave-girl since he was still too young. But now, he realizes his mistakes in his past. He understands what Shruikan was trying to teach him and he now tries to live by everything his master had taught him.

Another clap of thunder erupted above the dragon's head, this time sounding a bit louder making the young one twist his head up to look at the sky only to notice that the storm appears to be approaching closer. The rain began to become a bit heavier and he even noticed hail bombarding his body. Still, Thorn ignored this as he ducked his long neck under a low hanging branch as he continued to reminisce. Among everything that he had learned while being taught by Shruikan, there is one thing he remembers that his master had said that night after the incident with the girl; one thing that he believes is the most important lesson of all. _"A hatchling does not become an adult by merely bringing in the better kill or by becoming stronger and picking more fights. He becomes an adult dragon by realizing his past mistakes and finally acknowledging them so that he may learn from them."_

_Wise words that everyone should follow,_ Thorn thought to himself as he used his neck to push aside one more annoying branch before finally seeing the one that he had been attempting to find. There, sitting down on his hind-quarters under a large and sturdy elm while looking out at the rain falling down onto the pine-needles of the trees before plopping down to the ground was Shruikan. Thorn breathed deeply before stepping carefully around the large muddy puddles to sit down next to his mentor. For a moment he looked down at the ground while trying to figure out what to say. After all that thinking he had done while walking here, for some odd reason, figuring out how to start the conversation between him and Shruikan was not one of the many thoughts that flew by his mind. While thinking, he stared intently at the water droplets hitting his right foreleg and followed the path that they took as they meandered through the gaps of the young one's many scales before making their way to the ground. After tracing the path of the fifth droplet, he looked up at Shruikan who, to his embarrassment, had been staring at him for an unknown amount of time.

_May I help you?_ he simply asked with a deadpan expression which looked comical on a dragon as his eyes bored into Thorn's own irises with a bored and lazy look.

_Actually, Master,_ Thorn began as he quickly looked out onto the trees before him while hoping that the ebony-scaled dragon would not see his gaze deterring from Shruikan's own as an insult. _I was hoping that perhaps I can help you if there is any way in which I can do so._

Shruikan's eyes then narrowed as he looked away as well. _Your concern for my wellbeing is touching if not slightly annoying,_ he growled lightly indicating his annoyance. He then had a sense of déjà-vu as he realized that this was like when he had attempted to comfort Veltrose the previous night. He did appreciate how his young charge was concerned for him, but he always felt that he should be the one that has to be concerned for Thorn; not the other way around. Otherwise, he would just feel useless, like he cannot take care of himself at all. Finally, he breathed deeply and looked at Thorn from the corner of his eye before allowing him to go on as he continued to watch in empty-fascination how the wind made the trees dance as if they were in a slow, immobile waltz.

_I understand how you must feel at having been…confronted in that manner by your rider after so many years,_ Thorn chose his words carefully so that he would not upset his master even more than he already was. He too stared at the same tree that Shruikan was staring at as if it would inspire him in creating a worthy speech that would pull the wronged dragon out of his depression. _But you should not see this as a lost cause, Master. From what I heard, your rider is under a state of amnesia. People can break out of this state. It's not uncommon, Shruikan. Please, don't give up on your rider at all. This trip is not a waste of time at all. Akarli is still in there somewhere. Her memories are still in there. She just needs a little help in bringing out these memories again so that she can see you for who you truly are: her dragon…her best friend…her partner-of-her-heart._

The black dragon then looked down and shook his head side-to-side. He allowed the cool rain drops to calm him down before he spoke. _Thorn, lad, I never gave up. I was just simply confused is all. I mean, I thought that I would just simply venture out here to an entirely different country and be together with my rider and live happily ever after. I should have known that nothing is ever that easy._ He sighed as he opened his eyes again and stared at Thorn with an expression that appeared to be slowly becoming more determined as he spoke. _This is just a minor setback, my friend. I have a feeling that I'll be able to get to her somehow soon. It's just going to take some time. As long as I re-introduce myself slowly to her and spend more time with her, I have reason to believe that she'll slowly gain her memories back. All hope is not lost yet. I just have to reel her old-self out. I just came here to figure out how to do it. After all, I'm sure you noticed that the entire village is not really on good terms with dragons._ He chuckled lightly._ I should have remembered what Veltrose told me about everything before running down that damned hill like a hatchling chasing after a butterfly or something._

Thorn chuckled lightly as well as they both looked up to the sky to notice that the cloud-cover was beginning to thin-out as the rainfall decreased drastically. The thunder now sounded very far-off once again indicating that the small storm had passed on to a new location. _So…are you okay?_ Thorn questioned while still showing a small amount of concern in his expression.

Shruikan smiled slightly. _Aye, I'll be okay, Thorn. Trust me, I am just getting started…_

-X-X-X-X-X-_  
_

Back in Veltrose's cavern, the white dragon was just staring out at his valley once again to judge how bad the storm would be. Once he noticed that the clouds above were becoming much thinner and were being pushed and shoved by the wind, he turned around and padded back into his cave content that the storm was just a small one. He lifted his paw up high to avoid a puddle that formed on the exposed ledge of his cave but before he went inside his home, he looked to the side of the cliff that goes straight down. Close to the ledge on the cliff-side, he noticed that there were several deep grooves and depressions that could have only been made by a dragon's claws. When he looked down over his ledge, he notices that these markings continued all the way down. _Damn you, Shruikan,_ he smirked to himself as he continued on into his home and towards the still crackling fire. The two young dragonets were still sleeping off their injuries as they are still young and it takes time and energy for the injuries of a young one to heal properly. He then looked to the odd woman that was still seated by the fire, its light reflecting interesting patterns on her face. The white dragon then decided that perhaps he should attempt to strike up a conversation with her.

_He's still just as rambunctious now as he was when he was younger, that Shruikan,_ Veltrose chuckled as he settled down on the other side of the fire so that he can study her silent form.

Angela merely nodded but, other than that, she continued to stare intently at the flickering flames of the fire as if she could receive an answer from the dancing light for whatever is bothering her this much.

Veltrose was disappointed. From what he heard from his former student, Shruikan, this woman would never stop talking and had a rather odd personality. From the moment he had first heard about her, the white dragon became quite enthusiastic about meeting her and discussing random things that the two had noticed about the world. However, here she is sitting in front of the fire appearing dead to the world with the only sound emanating from her being her soft, controlled breathing. That, along with the slowing plops of the raindrops falling in the puddle on the ledge of his cave and the whistling wind as it winded around the natural cracks and crevices of his home as if it was a giant whistle gave a sort of eerie atmosphere in his cavern.

_Well, now this just won't do,_ he growled to himself as he tried to think up another tactic to get her to talk. Perhaps if he got her to laugh? The elder dragon was desperate for any sort of attention from this odd woman; anything to get a conversation going. He then forced out an odd, gritty, draconic laugh as if he just thought of something hilarious. _Did you see what Shruikan did last night? Apparently, he climbed down the side of the cave. It must have been the most amusing thing to see, I wish I was…,_ he began but was interrupted by the woman.

"I saw what he did last night," Angela interrupted in what sounded like an emotionless voice as she continued to look into the flames. "And I heard what you did years ago to that young one."

The white dragon froze as he had not expected the conversation to take on this completely unexpected and unwanted turn. His blue eyes narrowed dangerously at the woman as he saw that she had finally looked up to stare at him with an uninterested stare. He tried to suppress a growl that was just itching to be released as he felt his heart suddenly become heavy. He hated feeling like this. He hated being reminded of his past. The only reason as to why he told the group of his past was because he felt that he had to gain their trust. He saw a new hope when he watched them all tumble out of the sky. He saw a new way to get Frostloral back to its former glory. Veltrose always wanted to be in control of things because he felt that he can only trust himself to make things right. He figured that the whole downturn of his beloved new home was his fault…his responsibility to fix. He would have done something by now if not for one seemingly minor and unimportant but nevertheless hindering quality that he had.

He is old. He never wanted to admit it and would always cast his student's jokes about his age aside and attack with another insult, but he could not ignore the evidence. He could feel his age every time he would stand-up or sit-down. Every time he moved, he could feel his old bones groan in complaint at such a simple movement. He was unable to do as he used to when he was younger and when his rider was alive. He is weak. If there was only one thing that he hated about his old age it is the fact that it made him weak because it forces him to be unable to fix this whole mess. If he was just a bit younger he would have absolutely no problem in going over to Fraener and knock that senseless big head around a few times. But, due to his weakness, he could be put under the king's (as much as he loathed calling him that) control the second he stepped foot in that castle. His weakness reminded him of another time that he felt incapable of fixing anything: the time that his rider's mind became corrupted by Galbatorix. He could not get his rider to see what was really going on. He had become blind to the world and was forced to commit actions that were not of his own freewill. Sure he stopped him by ending his life but he desperately wished that he had been stronger and wiser back then so that he could have figured out a way to save his rider and have him here beside him today. But, alas, he was weak and it just simply was not meant to be. But he would sooner die then allow that to happen again to his new friends. He believes he has finally gained the upper hand in the form of the return of his student and his new companions.

He has gained back a little bit of control in the fight to right every wrong in Frostloral. Unlike now, however, when he lost control of the direction in which this conversation was going. _Confound this woman!_ he thought angrily as smoke began billowing out of his nostrils showing his displeasure.

"Calm yourself, Veltrose," she warned as she stared back into the fire. "I did not mean it in that way. I apologize for making you think that. I just wanted to ask you why exactly you did what you did."

_But I already told you everything last night,_ Veltrose stated as his eyes softened and held a curious spark in them rather than the menacing look they held just seconds ago.

"I know," Angela sighed, her line-of-sight never leaving that of the twirling flames between them. It looked as if she was not just looking _at_ them but, rather, _through_ them instead. It was as if the flames were hiding something in their very core and she was trying to dig out the fire's secrets. "Just tell me again. I need to be sure."

He heaved a heavy sigh before answering her question. _To save the life of that little girl and her family,_ he finally responded.

Angela nodded. "So, you gave up a full and happy life with your rider so that you can save their lives along with the lives of many?"she asked just to be sure. Veltrose simply nodded.

_Although it wasn't my life to give away, he could have accomplished so much,_ he mourned as his head bent down.

Angela then looked up and saw the look of sadness in the old dragon's eyes. It was as if a dam had broken releasing a gushing torrent of emotions. "That's not what it sounded like when you told the story last night. It seems that your rider knew what could happen and…"

_And gave me permission to do whatever I deemed necessary to stop him. I know already. Shruikan already practically drilled that into my mind last night,_ he growled but this time only out of annoyance rather than of anger. He, too, began to look deep into the flickering flames of the fire, watching it twitch from his own breath.

The herbalist nodded and smiled slightly when she saw him now looking into the fire as well. "Veltrose, what do you know about firesight?" Angela asked when she once again concentrated her gaze down into the fire, watching something within it.

Without even looking up, Veltrose replied, _It is a unique ability held by only a clawful of people. When they are called by a special force to look into a fire, they begin to see something that may happen in the near future that can possibly be changed. However, it can be incredibly dangerous to an untrained individual as their mind can be "burned" by the possibly terrifying and graphic images that they see in the fire. They can become an empty, emotionless body as they look around them and see who will die next and how that would happen. _The snow-scaled dragon then brought his icy-blue eyes up to look at her on the other side of the flames.

"Fire is a very interesting element," she continued from Veltrose's explanation. "Just by watching the flames dance can attract someone's attention. Every little flicker or twitch can tell a story. If a dragon flies nearby, you can see it in the way the flames slightly diminish from the rush of wind before they come back up, fueling itself from the added oxygen. If a door to the room in which the fire is held opens, the fire will flicker towards the opening. If someone is walking around, you can tell where they are by looking at where the flames lean away from. The flames are pushed and pulled by the wind. And, if properly looked at by an expert eye, it can reveal that of what could happen just as you said."

The dragon nodded in understanding. _Why did you ask, though?_

"Because," Angela began. "I have firesight. I have been looking into the fire for a while now seeing the same images over and over again while trying to figure out a way around the many consequences that I see. You said you sacrificed a happy life with your rider to save lives. Would you sacrifice something else that is near and dear to you to help your new friends?"

The dragon's eyes widened as he stared worriedly at her. This was not the type of conversation he wanted to hold with this human. He could think of a million other things to discuss with her other than sacrifices and lost lives. He would not even mind talking about blasted frogs and toads if it meant leaving this conversation behind! He then began to think carefully about how to answer this question. Finally, after a few moments of staring down at his feet, he spoke. _To be honest, I just don't want to see anyone else that I know get hurt. It would just hurt too much._

Angela then shook her head. "I said some_thing_ not some_one._ You're not sacrificing anyone's life this time."

_Oh,_ the dragon relaxed. Then, without hesitation, he answered, _Then without a doubt, yes._

"Good," she stated. "Then you might be interested to know that you have an unwelcomed visitor flying into the village."

Veltrose widened his eyes once again before immediately getting up onto his feet and, with a speed that he thought he had lost due to old age, rushed to his ledge to look out into the sky. The first thing that he had noticed was that dark storm clouds surrounded the entire valley meaning that it was not, in fact, a small storm as he had once thought. They were just in the eye of the storm-cell. The second thing that he noticed was that there was a small, greenish dot zipping towards his valley and the village over the peak of a mountain and it is fast approaching. _Damn,_ he cursed to himself. He was about to take-off when he felt the need to turn around just to be sure of something. When he turned, he notice that Angela is standing right there at the entrance to his cave. _Are you sure that no one will get hurt?_ he asked.

"Now I didn't say that. I just said that no one you care about would die," she corrected. When she looked into his worried eyes that still held that youthful spark of determination, she kindly smiled. "Trust me, everything will be okay. You're stronger than you think you are, Veltrose," she assured before turning back into the cave. "Don't worry about Astarot and Ehecatl. I'll look after them."

Nodding, Veltrose took-off into the sky and rocketed towards the green dot. When he brought his massive wings down to lift his massive body off the ground, the air was pushed aside so quickly that it almost knocked down the herbalist as she made her way back into the cave.

As he quickly flew towards this odd dragon, he ignored the stinging sensation of the raindrops as they hit him as he flew at full speed. When he finally approached the dragon, he tried to stay hidden in a grey cloud that he believed would blend nicely with his white scales. _Morning, ol' chap. What brings you to my neck of the woods,_ he asked with an amused tone but still remained wary of this creature. When he took a good look at him through a small gap in the wispy cloyd-layer, he noticed that this dragon's scales were a deep, forest-green. His underbelly had more of a lime-green color, however, and he had sharp, dagger-like black spikes going down his spine to the tip of his tail. He also had a short neck and appeared to have powerful muscles along his legs and wings. _Looks to mostly rely on brute strength. May not be agile enough with those muscles but he can definitely fly for long distances,_ he noted to himself.

_I am on a mission and was sent by the King—His Magesty: Lord Fraener—to search for and eradicate an annoying rider that has gone unnoticed by us for a long time,_ this creature spoke in an emotionless but deep voice as he continued flying. This creature did not even look to see where the voice originated from. Rather, he seemed to only have one objective and that was to do what the king had assigned him to do.

Veltrose felt a chill travel up and down his spine at the sound of this dragon's voice. Then, he noticed something. _You're a rider's dragon, aren't you?_ he questioned.

The creature then had a massive smirk on his scaly lips that revealed his sharp teeth. An evil glint appeared in his stone-cold eyes. _Not anymore. Lord Fraener has freed me from the unwanted burden. _

The white dragon had to restrain himself from lashing out in anger right then and there. He still wanted to gain a bit more information before he attacked him. He wanted to know exactly who he would be dealing with and if he has any potential weaknesses that can aid him in defeating this evil creature. There is one thing that he was already sure of: he did not like this dragon one bit. _ I see,_ he said while being careful in removing any trace of sarcasm and anger from his voice and, instead, used a carefully constructed questioning tone to not get this dragon suspicious at all. He also noted that he had to hurry for this dragon was getting closer and closer to the airspace above the village. _May I have the name of this rider that you are seeking to…extinguish?_ he inquired while having to force out the last word that he did not want to think about at all. He noticed that the clouds around him began to darken drastically as the eye of the storm passed them. The wind began to pick up, buffeting the two dragons slightly.

_A rider by the name of Akarli,_ the green, mindless beast answered as he seemed to ignore the storm.

The elder then felt his heart stop and he had to strain to synchronize the rhythm of his wings again lest he fall out of the sky and reveal his location. _Just one more question, _he began as he readied himself for an attack. A flash of lightning appeared nearby and struck the ground below them. Veltrose tried to ignore this, however. _Are you at all wondering where I am?_

Another smirk appeared on the evil dragon's face. _No, because I already know where you are._

Veltrose's eyes widened in shock before he immediately swerved to his right and dived down to avoid the fire blast of the dragon. The fight had begun. He then looked behind him and saw that the other one is now looking at him, wondering whether he should continue on his mission, or continue attacking this old, annoying white dragon. Well, Veltrose knows just how to fix that. _Nice candlelight, my scaly companion. But mine's bigger,_ he laughed as thunder crashed above them. He then inhaled deeply and expelled a massive torrent of flame on the green beast who roared in anger and had finally made up his mind when he saw the annoying old coot fly off. The chase was on.

The white dragon then did a barrel role to the right while angling upwards to avoid another short, fiery blast from his enemy and to get into position for his new attack. He noticed that it was tougher now with the added wind and rain pushing against his hide. He is forced to overcorrect his movements to compensate for the weather. When he was flying over the green dragon, he let loose another powerful blast of fire at the creature's head. However, because he was a dragon, the fire did nothing but annoy and slightly stun the evil one. That small moment of the green one being confused, however, gave Veltrose the necessary amount of time to dive into the other's back to attempt to push him out of the black sky.

When the green dragon felt the elder slam into his back, he rolled over and latched onto the elder's body with his claws and threw him into the ground…or at least tried to, anyway. Veltrose simply curled in his wings to manipulate the rapidly changing air current so that he can still control his direction at high speeds. He did a large loop to come back over the green dragon who looked to be getting ready to fire another blast at him. However, Veltrose was able to sway side-to-side as he flew straight down over his enemy to avoid all of the blasts. Lightning flashed behind him giving him the impression that the storm was on his side. He then narrowed his eyes as he let loose another, but smaller, shot of flames at the creature before doing a death-spin to prevent himself from slamming into the other one. When he was a few feet over the ground, he slammed his wings out and, with a mighty flap, shot back up into the air and struck the other dragon from underneath, throwing the emotionless beast off-balance and forcing him to having to focus on not falling out of the storming sky.

Veltrose then became worried as he leveled off from that last attack as he noticed that he was beginning to pant from having to expel so much flame at once. He had never breathed that much fire in a very long. He flew directly below the black clouds so that he would not become disoriented which had brought many a dragon down in the past. He did not want to have to do this, but Veltrose was going to have to get physical. He looked around himself as he tried to look for his enemy. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously when he could not find him. Then, he heard a roar and looked up. He gasped when he saw the green one free-falling out of the cloudy skies and slamming into his back. The elder roared in pain when he felt the other one latch onto his back and began trying to claw and bite him. He threw out his wings in an attempt to slow down their fall but there was just simply too much weight. _I have got to pay more attention to my surroundings!_ he growled to himself as he was able to flap his left wing to put himself in a controlled spin, throwing the other dragon off due to the centripetal forces.

_I must admit,_ the green one began as he finally gained control of his flight pattern once again. _You are much stronger than those pathetic humans from last week's Secret Police raid,_ he growled as he began flying at his fastest speed (which is nowhere near as fast as Veltrose's top speed) with the full intention of getting rid of the white one.

Veltrose, however, saw red after he heard the other's words. _There was a raid…and I did nothing to stop it?_ he berated himself. He then roared loudly which showed that he was beyond angered. Thunder clashed above him as if echoing his roar…his challenge. Lightning also flashed behind him giving him a frightening look as it reflected off of his scales. Without him knowing, dragons had already gone to the village that he had sworn to protect and killed who knows how many innocent lives. That was it; he was going to kill this emotionless not-dragon. He was going to kill it even if it killed him. With that final thought, he then angled his wings towards him and rocketed after the other one who was also going towards him at full speed. The green dragon's eyes widened, however, when he saw the enraged look in his opponent's eyes and how he was not stopping at all. He then tried to dodge but it was too late. The two then collided into each other and became a thrashing ball of wings, claws, and teeth.

_You are a monster…a traitor,_ Veltrose roared out of anger to the other one. The storm continued to rage on around them as the wind pushed the two massive creatures around as if they were simply feathers. _You could have had a great life with your rider. Humans and dragons can live in peace, but you chose to follow that damned king instead. _The two then began to fall out of the sky while tumbling head over claws, trying to end each other's lives. Veltrose managed to get his teeth around the green one's neck and was prepared to deliver the killing blow when he felt an excruciating pain emanating from somewhere on his body but he could not tell where due to the pain. He tried to ignore this and finally bit down and snapped the beast's neck, extinguishing his life almost immediately. He felt blood flowing into his mouth, tainting his teeth and scales. With a final shove, he threw the other dragon into the ground and was satisfied to see a massive dust cloud rising up from where he impacted the earth.

Veltrose then tried to come in for a landing but was horrified when he noticed that he was in too much pain to control his wings. He only managed to bring out one wing to attempt to slow down his fall as his other one was just too painful to use. However, it was not enough for, with a final roar of fear, he, too, slammed into the ground as one final crash of thunder sounded, announcing his victory…and his loss.

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Alright, guys. Enjoy the chapter? lol Please just help me out and answer at least a few of these questions in a review or a PM. I would really appreciate it a lot. =D

1. Is there, in your opinion, a sufficient amount of detail that paints an image in your mind?  
2. Does the fight scene move enough at a fast pace? Does it have an action-like feel to it? Is it believable?  
3. Do you think my writing is professional enough to begin writing my book or does it still not some improvement. If so, where do I need to improve? (Please disregard the first few chapters when answering this.)  
4. Are my original characters believable?

Thank you for sticking with me this far, everybody! You guys are AMAZING! =D

Sincerely,

_The Aviator_


	15. It's Your Move Now

So...college...yeah...'nuff said. lol I just started my first year of college in the fall last year. Oh, by the way, I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE HAD A HAPPY NEW YEAR AND ENJOYED YOURSELVES LAST HOLIDAY SEASON! =D Anyway, I was gonna post this monster of a chapter on January 6 to commemorate my three year anniversary of this story...but there was just so much more to write. As my gift to you, I present to you all a 10,400+ word chapter. I know I'm not the best writer out there and am even worst at time-keeping...but I would really like to thank all of my friends for reviewing...favoriting this story, subscribing, and generally support my work. You guys are all AMAZING! Thank you so much!

Let me just tell you how college went...classes...eh. -_- But the flying? My God, it feels so awesome being in control of a flying machine. In a few short weeks, I'll be doing a solo (flying the plane by myself). WISH ME LUCK! It's gonna be another busy semester so...try not to expect a quick update as I highly doubt it's gonna happen. Sorry, folks. School comes first. Hopefully, this extremely long chapter (the longest one, by far at 10,400+ words not including these author notes) will hold you all off for a while. ENJOY!

**ALL _SIGNED_ REVIEWERS WILL RECEIVE A PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 16!**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle under any circumstances, the book was written by Christopher Paolini and published by the KNOPF Publishing Company. This fanfic is a mere extension of my twisted but awesome imagination. I only own the plot and my original characters and places._**

**_Warning: _Possible gore as I discuss Veltrose's condition at the end. Read at your own discretion.**

* * *

Rain. That was the first thing that came to the old dragon's mind as he felt the ice-cold water slide off his large bulk. Not only that, but Veltrose could even detect a bit of hail as he felt a slight stinging sensation on his wings. Confused, he opened his eyes and glanced at his surroundings wondering what he was doing outside of his nice, warm cave. The elder shifted his massive form slightly when he noticed that he was lying uncomfortably on his side at an odd angle. His left wing was curled around his body and pinned between the side of his stomach and the ground which explained why his muscles were acting up. When he finally freed his wing, he gave it an experimental flap. However, when he attempted to do what should be a simple movement that all dragons have been taught since they were first pushed out of their nests brought an uncontrollable torrent of fiery pain racing through his veins and muscles. The pain was so intense that it triggered the elder's memories and he was reminded of everything that had recently transpired.

The dragon. The fight. That thing's mission to search and kill Akarli, his former student's rider. He breathed in and out deeply several times to try to flush out the pain that was very much still present. He turned his jewel-like blue eyes upwards towards the heavens above only to see angry black clouds releasing stinging hail and rain. He then brought his right foreleg forward and gained purchase on the muddy ground with his foot; powerful, sharp claws digging into the ground to give the dragon the necessary traction so that his foot would not slide as he attempted to rise up his unusually heavy-feeling body. As he called upon all of his willpower and strength just to stand-up, his leg shook madly in a silent complaint. Finally, he just could not take it anymore. His foot slid forward which forced the elder to collapse onto his stomach while moaning from the pain that he was in. The puddle that he fell into splashed mud all over, tarnishing his clean, white scales. As the rain continued on, Veltrose felt useless as he just lied there in the mud, moaning from the pain that seemed to mostly originate from his left wing. He imagined how pathetic he must look and became angered. He had been through so much in life only to be stuck in a puddle? That is not how the dragon wanted his life to end. He wants to go down fighting bravely and die a dragon's death rather than from starvation.

_I have to get back to the cave,_ he thought to himself as he managed to gain at least some strength to roll onto his stomach. _Must…tell Shruikan that he's…in…danger,_ he growled as he made another attempt to stand up. This time, however, he was trying to use his powerful but tired muscles in all four legs to stand up. Soon, he found himself standing tall over the offending mud puddle and began what should be a short journey back to his cavern to give his warning. He turned his long neck around to stare at the puddle, glaring at it and cursing it for holding him down. He then looked upwards at the crying skies once again. _Flying's out of the question,_ he noted as he then looked back at both his wings. But, when he looked at his left wing, he gasped at the sight. He did not make it five steps before his muscles gave way, thus making the battle-weary dragon fall back down to the earth; back down into the puddle splashing even more mud over his usually graceful body. When his full weight slammed into the ground, he could not control how he fell. Thus, his wing managed to end up underneath him as he tumbled down into the puddle. When his body impacted with the wing, he gave a mighty roar of pain and sadness that would have stopped a creature's heart from the emotions running through that roar.

The dragon's precious blood slowly poured into the puddle from his left wing-joint. It mixed with the muddy water turning it a sickly red. The wind blew slightly, pushing the bloody water around in the puddle and in front of the dragon's eyes as if it was mocking him for being weak. His eyes closed, unwilling to look back at his destroyed wing.

-X-X-X-X-X-

The mother sighed as she walked around her small kitchen in her house quietly with the ever present creak of the wooden floorboards echoing throughout the small room with every step she took. The wind slightly rattled the windows, begging to come in but she paid no attention to its presence. The dark clouds that brought the rain earlier that day were slowly being pulled away by the wind as a mother would pull her young child around the market place to keep him close to her. The skies became clear again as the eye of the storm established its presence above the village. She sighed again. Elidor was at the shop to begin work once again (this being clearly evident by the sharp, metallic sound of a hammer striking metal since the shop is next door). Although she constantly wonders about his safety what with all the fire, the sharp implements and whatnot, she trusts him to come back in one piece. However, he was not the one she was worried about.

She heard a creak coming from Briam's room. The door was slightly ajar and she can hear him tossing and turning in his bed as he battles his thoughts and false expectations in his nightmares as he tries to take a nap. The mother thinks about their conversation the night before and knows what she will have to tell him may endanger her family but she knows that robbing Briam of memories of his father may make things even more dangerous for the family.

She steps into the family room—which simply consisted of a few chairs surrounding a fireplace with logs alit and crackling while emitting a rich, spicy scent of oak and pine—and looks at the thick, wooden picture frame holding a painting of the town of Crystila. She pulls the large frame off the wall and examines it closely. Each building was placed in a careful manner exactly where they are supposed to be. The tall and proud evergreen trees stood in the background of the portrait wrapping around the town on one side. The valley can be seen starting off in a small point at the top of the picture and gradually becoming wider and wider until it eventually reaches the village in which it then envelopes the town and creates a giant bowl. The river weaves through the gentle twists and turns of the valley like a snake until it feeds a small lake towards the other side of the village opposite the trees.

The woman then turns the picture over revealing an unappealing, boring black velvet that covers the back. She fingers a corner of the velvet to where there is a small, hidden depression and pokes it. The velvet collapses into the hole and rips away from the frame. Gently, she pulls the velvet away from the whole frame which reveals a wooden door in the back of the frame. The wood is a beautiful deep-brown with natural black lines weaving around the flat board in intricate patterns. It is polished as well which allows the firelight to reflect off of it giving it a warm glow. In the center of the wooden door are the words _Atra du evarínya ono varda_ (May the stars watch over you) in a script-like font of the elves known as Liduen-Kvaedhi. She ran her fingers over the words before speaking the words, "Atra mor'ranr lífa unin hjarta onr."

The words on the wood glowed lightly before a series of _Clicks! _emanated from the frame beneath the wooden door. When these sounds ended, she brought the frame to the kitchen and placed it gently on the table. The mother then called for Briam to come to the kitchen so that she can tell him exactly everything that he has been missing. Light, barely noticeable footsteps could be heard as Briam's socked feet drags along the scuffed wooden floor as they walk the sleepy teenager into the room subconsciously. When he came into view, she suddenly felt guilty at how she never told him about their family history and that it is her fault for allowing her son to think that he should be the one to protect them from the king and, thus, decided that they will be protected if he joined Fraener in his mad rampage. He rubbed his eyes heavily and when he removed his hands, she almost gasped at how red his eyes were and how the bags sagged underneath his beautiful, curious brown eyes. She had to take a step back when she realized that these were not the eyes of a young boy…they were the eyes of a man that radiated strength and protectiveness. She sighed inwardly at how his childhood years were robbed from him by the evil dragon-king, Fraener.

"Yes, mother?" he asked after opening his mouth wide in a yawn that would rival that of a dragon's.

He scratched his face and it was then that she realized that he had small hair stubbles intruding upon his usually smooth and unblemished cheeks. The mother smiled lightly at the thought of how much he now looked like his father. _But, then again, _she thinks to herself, _he always looked like him._ She turned her head over her shoulder as if to quickly affirm that the frame was still there on the table, waiting to reveal many family secrets. She sighed softly wondering how to begin.

That day, it was rather windy and a strong gust suddenly slammed into the house and into the window, attempting to force its way in. The little wooden house groaned in protest and fought back against the wind. The window, however, was unable to keep the intruding gale back andwas forced open, its shutters on the outside banged against the house as it was push and pulled closed by the wind. She strode over to the window and gently closed it after taking a quick look outside towards the sky. The clouds seemed to be racing across the now darkening sky over the village, being guided by the wind to far away destinations. After turning around, she gestured towards her son to sit down at the opposite side of the table.

Briam followed her silent command and pulled one of the chairs away from the table, cringing slightly at the loud screech that permeated through the silence waking him up a little more. He sat down on the furniture which groaned slightly from his weight and then he placed his elbows on the table and held his head in his hands, red eyes glanced towards his mother to answer his silent question of why he was called out of bed.

The mother felt guilty waking him up from a much needed slumber but she felt that the sooner she told him, the better. After quickly pouring freshly made tea from earlier that morning into two cups and handing one to her son, she pulled a chair over next to her son and sat down across from the picture frame. She place the teapot to the side so that it would be out of the way. Smoke wafted up from both steamy cups and twirled in a lazy dance. The spicy yet sweet smell of the herbs in the tea helped to soothe Briam along with the sound of the crackling fire in the other room. The first thing he noticed she did was smile at him and held his hand, softly rubbing his slightly calloused fingers.

"You look so much like your father now," she softly spoke to him.

He looked down at their intertwined fingers and then glanced towards the side at the table, looking at the wooden grains of the tabletop. "But I'll never be like him…it's too late…," he sighed in a depressing manner.

She gently pulled her hand away from his weak grasp and gestured towards the mysterious back of the frame. "I don't think that it is too late at all. You both have the same interests in your family's safety, you just went at it in a different way," the mother noted. She slid the frame closer to them and lifted away the now unlocked back cover revealing what looked to be several large paintings. "Do you know what a fairth is?"

He nodded as he stared at the painting at the very top which looked to depict his mother when she was younger sitting on a rock by a lake and looking out towards the water at the sunset which painted the sky in vivid oranges, reds, and purples. The clouds seemed to be parting from the sun in opposite directions. A graceful smile was on the woman's face which brought out the peaceful atmosphere. It appeared that there was a slight wind in the picture as evident by the silky brown hair flowing behind the woman in lazy curls. Forrest-green eyes seemed to glow with mirth and amusement from her mother in the painting. "Isn't a fairth created by a magic-user to capture an image?" he asked.

The mother nodded in affirmation. "These were created by your father."

"What?" Briam gasped. His eyes were wide as they looked at her with amazement. "Father was a magician?"

She chuckled softly as she shook her head. "Something like that. You'll see." The woman looked at the first painting and ran her fingers across it as if trying to absorb the memories from the magical painting. "Your father made all of these to capture different moments in our lives. This first one was from when we first met. Your father was rather clumsy back then and he accidentally came upon me while I was washing myself in the lake." She laughed from the memory. Even Briam seemed to crack a smile. "I was rather angry back then but I cooled down when he apologized rather profusely. He just would not stop blushing from the incident. Later, he introduced himself to me and we both just stayed by the lake for a while. He decided to make this fairth as an apology but he wouldn't tell me how he did it. It wasn't until a few months later when he finally told me his secret. By then, we were already in love."

Briam's mother than took that fairth out and begin to show several others by displaying multiple fairths side-by-side on the table. "We felt it best to hide all of them this way to keep them away from the king's eyes and those of his soldiers to protect us all…but he had already known about your father." Her demeanor than visibly became more depressed which caught the eye of her son who then looked at her with concern evident in his brown eyes which seemed to dull with sadness.

Briam looked back onto the images laid out on the table and saw one that was halfway revealed to him as the other half was hidden under another fairth. He saw his mother smiling back to the world in the picture with what appeared to be an arm wrapped around her shoulders. However, whomever the arm belonged to was not yet visible as that was the part that was hidden. Curious, he slid the painting out in front of him while pushing the one that covered it aside and cast his eyes down at the man that was embracing his mother. His eyes narrowed in concentration down at this new figure.

This man appeared lean but still powerful judging by the subtle muscles on his arms. The man also had short, spiky brown hair adorning his head. He wore a simple blue tunic with short sleeves that were adorned with a golden-colored lace. He had black leggings and brown boots as well. However, the thing that struck Briam the most was his face as warm brown eyes stared back at him making him feel complete on the inside. The spark of love can clearly be seen in them showing just how much he loved the woman that stood by his side. He also wore a smile. It was small and subtle but that was all that was needed to show his contempt with the life he had made for himself. Briam felt a hot, stinging sensation in his eyes and lifted a finger to his right eye and softly rubbed it. He saw that he was tearing up slightly which startled him as he had not cried for a long time since his life changed when he met that damned silver dragon. He suddenly felt anger boiling in his heart as he now realize how much that dragon had ruined his life and taken his father away from him. He looked to the side in guilt as he thought about the mistakes he had made and thought about how much his father must now despise him because of that.

Briam's eyes then fell upon another painting and he gasped as he saw two babies. One had green eyes while the other had brown. The brown-eyed babe was being held by the same man from the other painting. The green-eyed babe, who seemed to be at least a year older, was being held by his mother. His eyes widened as he realized that the brown-eyed child was actually him.

"He loved you so very much," his mother began after she tried to contain her sadness from thinking about her husband's death. "He loved the both of you, of course. He would always play with the two of you every chance he got and would stay in your room to make sure the both of you slept easily after telling you both a bedtime story. I told him that you were both too young to understand what he was saying and that he was wasting his time, but he would just tell me that anytime he spent away from the two of you was wasted time and that when you were all together, it was time to be cherished." She smiled but the expression did not quite reach her eyes. "I guess it was all for the best as he did not have that much time at all."

The wind had suddenly picked up once again and forced the window open. The woman sighed out of exasperation as she forced herself up to close the window for the second time. Briam welcomed the icy breeze as it caressed his chin. He had a thought that it was his father's way of hugging him. He found it strange but yet he liked that thought. However, his smile fell as he had another thought enter his mind once his mother closed the window with a curse and a glare.

"Mother," he began once she sat back down at the table. "You said father had a secret that he did not tell you about until later…what was it?"

His mother had a thoughtful look upon her face as she held the cup of tea in front of her lips that the both of them had neglected for the whole conversation. She blew gently at the warm liquid as she gathered her thoughts. Briam also reached for his own and took a sip, relishing the way the warm and sweet liquid satisfied his scratchy throat and warmed him up. He also allowed the spicy aroma from the herbs in the tea to further calm and relax his mind as he breathed it in. He looked up when he saw that his mother had placed her mug down back on the table and reached from the picture frame a few more fairths. She set these down in front of Briam whose eyes scrunched up in confusion for on the first fairth…was a dragon.

Briam looked up at his mother for an explanation but she just simply gestured for him to look them through first before he asked any questions so that he can discover the answers for himself. He stared back down at the dragon and observed him for it certainly did look like a male judging by the more bulky and powerful body features. However, despite these fierce and powerful aspects, the dragon seemed to have a kind expression upon his snout and in his eyes which drove Briam into a loop for the only expressions he had seen on dragons while serving under the king was a fierce and angry look. Curious, he looked more closely at the picture. The dragon was a dark, midnight blue that looked to be almost black. The eyes were a warm golden color that showed happiness and a bit of curiosity as well. It was dark in the picture and the dragon seemed to be lying down on his stomach while his regal head was lifted to stare up at the full moon as if contemplating on how long it would take to fly there. He seemed happy and at peace. His eyes were open wide as he stared up and the moon could be seen reflected in his golden eyes. Some of the moonlight is seen reflecting off of his scales making them seem more bluish at night. His massive wings were folded neatly at his sides and his front paws were crossed one over the other, dangerous silver talons relaxed. Short, silver spikes were found starting at the top of the dragon's head and down his back but then turned into a bluish fin from the base of his tail to its tip. There were two long, thin horns on the back of his head facing towards the rear. Other than that, there did not seem to be any other horns at all on the dragon, just the spikes on his back. This made him look more streamlined and aerodynamic even though he was still slightly bulky. One thing was clear, though: this dragon radiated strength.

Briam was about to ask his mother who this dragon was and even why he looked a bit familiar, but he decided that, perhaps, his question will be answered if he would just keep on looking through these fairths. The young man took the top one and set it aside. In the next picture, Briam saw what he now knew was his father sitting in a saddle atop the mighty dragon in what appeared to be full rider gear with a sword at his side. _No way,_ he thought with wide eyes. He stared up at his mother again. She was again sipping from her tea but Briam detected a bit of a smile on her face being hidden by the cup. He looked down at the fairth once again. Both his father and the dragon seemed to be incredibly happy to be with each other as evident by the big smiles plastered on both face and muzzle. He found it intoxicating as he began to feel a smile creep itself onto his face as well. He looked at the next one and let out a chuckle when he saw his father on this mysterious dragon smiling as he held onto his mother who was in front of him looking a bit nervous. The dragon looked back at the both of them, lips pulled slightly to reveal some teeth. He wasn't snarling, not by a long shot. It actually looked more like a smile.

"Ah, yes. I remember when this was made," my mother spoke. She sat down her cup and smiled as she pulled the fairth closer to her. She seemed to be trying to be remembering that precious moment with the love of her life. She rubbed a thumb on the dragon's flank, as if petting the magnificent beast. "This was right before he took me for our first flight. Nervous as hell, I was. But your father dared me to fly with him and I just couldn't refuse. Especially when he smiled like that." She then looked at the smile that was on my face. "I've always noticed that you had his smile. It's small but just full of life and happiness. Your father could make me do anything with that smile of his. But don't get any ideas!" she smirked as she sat the fairth back down. She looked back to Briam who kept on looking at the fairth. "His name was Shadowlight. The dragon, I mean." She grabbed the teapot and poured herself and Briam some more tea. The liquid silently sloshed around in the cup while the he continued trying to absorb everything in.

"Shadowlight?" Briam asked with a confused look.

She simply nodded at him as she brought her cup back up to her face. "Your father was full of contradictions…and so was that damned dragon," she smirked as fond memories raced through her mind. "For example, for such a skinny man, he was pretty strong. His small smile just made my heart flutter. He was tough, but he always had time for his family in which he just turned into a big teddy bear. He said he named him Shadowlight because the dragon looked like a shadow…like he just would not find any happiness in the world at all. But yet, he was the happiest being he knew. Shadowlight just became happy at the smallest things. When I first met him, I was terrified because of how large he was and the way he looked. But he simply just told me that I looked pretty and that he liked me because I made his human happy." She took a quick sip of the tea and then, as if something just popped into her mind as evident by her eyes becoming slightly wide and a large smile crossing her face, she asked, "You want to know what my favorite fairth is?"

He nodded, curious. She then dug through the small pile of the fairths featuring the large reptile and after a quick "Ah-ha!" she pulled one out. She looked at it for herself with a sad smile on her face. Briam gasped when he saw a tear streak down her cheek. He had never seen his mother shed a tear before. She was usually very strict and had a tough exterior and would refuse to show weakness to anybody. As a matter of fact, he had never seen his mother this happy before. It seems that talking about his father just brings out her youthful side. She had this excited glint in her green eyes that would pull Briam into feeling happy as well. He liked it when his mother would display her happiness. She then gently placed what might as well be a priceless treasure down in front of Briam.

When her child looked down, he just could not look away at all. He just stared at it and absorbed the whole image into his head so that he would never forget what really is an emotional and priceless treasure. He breathed slowly as he wished that he could just go back in time to relive that moment and treasure it. Briam honestly dug back into his memories so that he could try to find that one particular memory even though he knew that he was just a baby when this all happened. He sighed softly when he just could not remember. Briam could feel another tear pushing its way out of his eye and snake its way down his cheek. It slowed to a stop and hung for just a moment on his chin before finally letting go and dropping into his tea. That one tear might as well have been a mighty dam finally breaking apart after holding all the emotions and thoughts he hid for so many years. He could feel his heart beating incredibly quickly as if it was trying to race back into time to relive that moment. Slowly, with a tentative finger, he traced the lines on the image as if he was carving them into his heart so that it may be with him forever. Suddenly, a whole torrent of emotions encompassed him. Sadness from never being able to relive that moment. Anger at what had been taken away from him. Love for his mother, his brother, and his newly discovered father and companion. Fear for the unforeseeable future. Pity for himself, his family, and everybody else that were suffering from the current circumstances. But one emotion that surpassed all else and surprised him was…peace.

He felt at peace with knowing that he was loved and that he will always be loved if anything on the image was to go by. For on the image was his father sitting atop his dragon holding a brown-eyed babe. Shadowlight had his long, sinuous neck twisted in a graceful way so that he can gently lick the babe out of love. And that always present smile—the smile in which he had inherited from a great man—was still plastered on his father's face as he looked down at Briam with pride. The baby had his mouth open in a silent giggle with amusement clearly evident in his eyes. He didn't care nor did he even spare a glance at the beautiful red sunset in the background or the amazingly detailed Weeping Willow trees flowering and standing guard around a crystal clear lake. He did not see the flowers flowing in the breeze, some having already settled upright on the glassy water. Nor did he notice the patterns in the grass as each individual blade bowed down respectfully to the wind. The only thing he focused on were those three figures. He was loved.

"There was something odd about that dragon, though," the mother noted after letting her son have a few moments of silence to observe the fairth. "He seemed to always want to protect you. He loved Elidor as well, of course. But should either of you have fallen, he would always rush to you first and observe every angle of you to make sure you were okay. He would then just bring you over to me. Then, and only then, would he look at Elidor once he knew you were alright," she silently said. She then grasped Briam's right, calloused hand and intertwined her fingers with his own. "Briam, your father and his dragon loved you so much. Know that they had loved you and will continue to do so from where they rest in peace now and forevermore. He forgives you for your mistake and understands why you did all of that. Just let him into your heart now and allow him to guide you."

The young man simply nodded, eyes still glued to the image for something else caught his eye. On the hip of his father was a belt which seemed to be holding a sheathed sword. He looked carefully at the cross guard for that was the only part that was visible.

"Your father also said something else…something which I still do not understand to this day," she stated. "He said something about having an idea to take the king down once and for all. He said that Shadowlight will always look after you forever. I don't know what he was talking about but I like to think that he had that dragon following you all around the country just hiding in the shadows," she smirked. "Wouldn't be hard for him at all, now would it?" Suddenly, the wind once again picked up and the kitchen window slammed open once again. "Oh, come now! Really?" she growled under her breath as she got up once again.

Briam just ignored her as he finally set the fairth down. He began to think about what his mother had said about Shadowlight always lurking in the shadows while silently protecting him. He looked at the dragon once again and began to think how this dragon looked so familiar. He looked at the cross guard of the sword as well. He tried to recall something important. Something that he could have sworn was odd when he first looked at it and the dragon. He believed it must have been at the castle…one of the dragons…he could have sworn…

"Oh no," he heard his mother whisper. His head whipped towards her as she looked outside the window in the sky after quickly closing it shut. He knew that tone. It was one that he hated because it showed the very rare times that his mother felt true fear. "No, not now…," she muttered. Briam was also surprised when he noticed that the skies had darkened once again and that massive droplets of rain were slamming into the window with a lot of force, begging to get inside.

"What is it?" he asked as he carefully stood up from his chair with narrowed, cautious eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Briam," his mother called as she turned her head slightly to look at him with an eye. "Did you…please don't be angry with me…but did you tell the king _anything_ else?" She tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, something that he recognized she did when she was nervous and not sure what to do.

He quickly shook his head. "No…no, I didn't. Mother, please…what's wrong?"

"Go get Elidor right this instant. He should still be at the smithy. I'll begin locking all the windows. Go. Hurry!"

He found his feet automatically beginning to walk him towards the front door, his socks slipping along the wooden floor as it creaked under his weight in some areas. However, he stopped himself at the doorway. "But what is it?"

She only replied with one word. But that one word was all that was needed to push him into immediate action after glancing one last time at the fairth. "Dragons."

-X-X-X-X-X-

_Come, lad. Hurry up! I think I saw him crash in this direction!_ Shruikan called to Thorn as he continued to throw himself into the brush, swish his neck to toss branches aside, and jump over large puddles as he ran towards where he believed his old friend crashed into the ground. He always knew that despite the fact that Veltrose is a powerful dragon, he still has his limits. Needless to say, he was quite surprised when he heard an angered roar come from the weeping and thundering skies. He growled when his right hindfoot sunk into a mud pit created by the torrential downpour that was still falling out of the sky. He quickly pulled it out and ignored the irritating substance that found its way between his claws on that foot and continued on. His eyes squinted as he attempted to see through the rain and even hail as he tried to find his old friend.

_Shruikan! What is it?_ he heard Thorn call out to him from the back. The large black dragon looked behind him right at the moment that the skies roared with a fury that rivaled that of a dragon's while a bolt of lightning struck a mountain far away.

Shruikan snorted as he did not want to respond to Thorn at all, he just wanted to get to his old master as quick as possible. He jumped over fallen logs and plowed right through branches not caring about his wellbeing at all. He glared straight ahead as he found the whole world trying to hold him back. _It's Veltrose!_ he finally responded. _Something has happened!_

Finally, when they broke out of the tree line and stood before the still frozen lake in the raging storm, Shruikan wildly looked around. He was looking for a flash of white scales, the happy ice-blue eyes of his master, anything that would point out to him where Veltrose is. A growl built up deep within him when he heard Thorn stop at his side, his flank heaving as he tried to regain control of his breathing, tired from running after Shruikan. But the massive black creature just did not care at all…he was on a mission and he would be damned before he gave up. The skies lit up once again as if in answer to his wishes, providing him with the necessary light to be able to look even farther away despite the fact that it only provided it for just a split second before the world was doused in darkness once again. However, that was all the time he needed for in that split second, he was able to see the light reflect off a large hill on the other side of the even larger lake. He ignored his heart that was beating so quickly as if begging for release out of his chest. He ignored the hail that was bouncing off of his midnight black scales. He ignored how his bones and muscles felt like they just wanted to give up and drop the massive beast to the ground. He did not care for all of these minor annoyances and inconveniences. The dragon simply stepped towards the lake and looked down at the ice. Then, he looked back at his broken wing and glared at it for not being able to help him to get to his friend quick enough. Shruikan looked back at the lake and then lifted one paw off the ground and lightly placed it on the ice, gently putting his weight little-by-little on that paw.

_What are you doing now?_ Thorn asked when he finally began to breathe normally again after that run. He tilted his head slightly to the right as he observed his master bend his long neck down close to his paw to observe how the ice reacted to the massive dragon's weight. Finally, in understanding, his crimson eyes lit up in fright as he glanced at Shruikan with worry. _You're not actually thinking about…_

The dragon sighed and interrupted Thorn. _It would take much too long to walk around the lake and I need to get to Veltrose as fast as I possibly can; and if that means putting myself in danger, then so be it,_ he answered. Once he figured out that it would be safe to hold his full weight, he placed all four paws and stood on the ice while using his claws to provide the necessary traction on the slippery surface. _Fly to Veltrose, Thorn. He's just on the other side of this lake. I'll run right after you._

_Are you sure that you won't…_

_Just go! He may be seriously hurt!_ Shruikan ordered as he began to walk at a brisk pace along the frozen lake. Thorn paused for a second as he weighed the risks in his mind but at the persistent and determined glare from Shruikan, he nodded and took wing He flew past his master and into the storm where the black dragon could no longer see him anymore. Shruikan desperately hoped that this frozen lake would be able to hold him while he crossed it. If it should fail, he would not be able save himself for his wing was still broken. His thoughts switched to his good friend, Veltrose. He saw him fight that other dragon. He remembered how his eyes just locked onto both forms that were trying to best each other in the sky. At the first sign of fire, Shruikan had leaped up and began running with Thorn right behind him. But that wasn't what worried him as he knew that the old dragon could fight. What _did_ manage to stop his heart in its tracks, however, was when he saw the old dragon fall out of the sky and crash into the ground with a roar that seemed to have frozen the whole world in its tracks.

Now, Shruikan was walking at a brisk pace across the ice. The wind turned into a full on gale acting like a barrier as it blew head-on into the determent dragon to deter him from reaching the old white elder. The hail began to sting heavily at his eyes and he would be forced to occasionally close them at times which would force Shruikan to walk blindly through the fierce weather. He even had to shake his head at times to clear the slush off of his face so that he could take a quick peek at the mystical and blank land that he was now in. He tried to push the thought out of his mind that this was the very same lake that they had all crashed into over a week ago. The same lake that almost swallowed up his young charges, Astarot and Ehecatl. The only thoughts that flashed through his mind was "_Find Veltrose"_ and "_Is he hurt?"_ Nevertheless, he persevered. The wind continued to roar pass the beast and pick up some of the leftover snow particles and whip them at the dragon's feet making them disappear altogether. He was now about half way across the frozen lake when he figured that he should really start running to get to his master in time. So he did run. He was very careful, however, to only lightly use his claws for traction lest he accidentally dig them in too deep into the ice which would then create an unnecessary risk of creating a fracture which could spread and submerge Shruikan into the icy grasps of the water below him.

After a few more minutes, Shruikan heard a horrifying noise above the sounds of the ice pellets attacking kamikaze-style into the frozen sheet of ice below his feet, the howling gale, and the still thundering skies above him. He whipped his neck around to look behind him and saw a sight that immediately made his eyes widen. _No! Not again!_ he growled. The _Crack! _of the ice echoed around him again as it began to spread towards him. He looked ahead and noticed that he was still a few hundred yards away from the tree line signifying land. The trees swayed side to side in a dance as if taunting him that he will never make it on time. He growled and shot an angry flame into the air in front of him. He did not care about treading carefully this time as he began bounding in great leaps across the ice, pounding his paws into the ice below him to propel his massive body forward towards the trees with wings spread out slightly to allow the airflow beneath them to carry some of the weight off of his paws and make him travel even faster. Shruikan attempted to ignore the pain resonating from his still healing wing. He was closing in on it but when he looked behind him, he snorted in alarm for his tail was already submerged in the freezing water as the crack was traveling even faster. He would not be able to make it. _No. No!_ he shouted to himself. He only saw one solution to escape the tragedy and that was to fly. He looked forward again and, through the blinding hail, he saw the tree line only a mere hundred yards in front of him. The dragon sighed and spread his wings out fully to his sides trying to forget about the pain reverberating throughout his body now. When the ice beneath his feet finally broke, he brought his wings down in a massive flap while taking a mighty leap at the same time. And with that, he ascended. He flapped one more time which brought him even closer to the shore and then he finally crashed back down to earth just a few feet from the shore line.

Shruikan grunted in great pain for a few seconds with his eyes clenched shut. Slowly, he opened them and looked around him. He was still slightly submerged in the water and was only a few feet away from the shoreline. The dragon then looked back towards his wing and noticed that the medicine that Veltrose had put on him is still there and that his wing did not seem to have suffered anything other than pain which he was grateful for. He then got up onto his feet and saw a flash of red scales in front of him approaching. The dragon guessed this to be Thorn.

_Are you okay, master? How's your wing?_ Thorn asked with wide eyes after he saw the whole spectacle. He did not even seem to flinch when thunder cracked around them. His main concern was his master.

The black dragon merely just got up onto his feet as if his life had not just been in danger to begin with. The icy water sloshed around his paws. _Again, your concern is very touching but still quite irritating,_ he growled out with narrowed eyes. However, when he turned and looked into his former student's eyes, his angered gaze softened. _But it's still welcome. I'm fine, lad._ He then shook himself to quickly empty his mind of the terrifying ordeal he had just come out of. _Now, have you found Veltrose?_ he asked. When his student nodded, he gestured with his head towards the forest. _Then lead me to him, if you please._

Thorn nodded once again and began walking further down the shore with Shruikan hot on his tail. Even though his wing looked perfectly fine on the outside, he still felt it stinging when the ice continued hitting it. The pain was still manageable, however.

_Just so you know, _Thorn began with a steady but cautious and hesitant voice as if he did not want to be the one delivering the potentially bad news. Shruikan noticed his tone immediately and became alert at once. _Veltrose has…well…he's rather hurt._

Shruikan's eyes dropped and he let out a draconic sigh which resulted in the release of smoke from his nostrils which instantly became lost in the storm. He was expecting this since he knew that no one could survive a fall like that and not expect a single scratch on their hide at all. Despite the tough hides that dragons were known to have, a fall like that could still potentially kill them. Shruikan is just happy that he's alive. _How hurt?_ he asked. At the same time, a strong wind pushed against his flank making him sway slightly to the other side. The trees continued dancing to their right side while to their left, the frozen lake still looked mysterious and foreboding. It seemed unnatural to him. The valley around him, he knew, is actually quite beautiful. However, the iced-over lake now has the other side in which they had previously been and escaped from covered by the fog that had fallen upon the world like a giant blanket denying the unfortunate souls beneath its shroud the right to look out at the world around them.

Thorn sighed deeply as he took a few more steps and then stopped. _Why don't you see for yourself?_ he suggested so that he would not have to reveal the bad news.

Shruikan stopped behind him and looked at his student who then gestured towards a hill in front of them. On top of the hill, through the gentle snowfall that had replaced the rain and sleet to once again cover the ugliness of the world, he saw a bulge that almost blended in perfectly with the light dusting of snow that was now present on the ground as it began to accumulate slightly. Well…it _would_ have almost blended in if not for the dark reddish and brown marks. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that it was his master, Veltrose. He gasped and immediately began to run up to the other dragon that seemed to not be moving at all. He expected the worst to have befallen his good friend. Once he stood next to him, he gazed at his master's tarnished and bloodied body with astonished and disbelieving eyes. There were large scratches that covered his white scales. In some areas, there were absolutely no scales at all suggesting that they had been ripped off by the other dragon in the fight. In these bare spots, streams of blood can be seen running like a river out of the dragon's body and into the watery mud pit that he seems to have landed in. Some of the blood was even running into the snow which made a stark and frightening contrast with the bleached white substance. He looked behind the dragon and noticed that there was a large trench behind him about the same width of Veltrose that extended for approximately a hundred yards showing how painful the crash landing must have been since he slid quite a ways before finally resting to a stop.

Veltrose suddenly moaned; a deep sound reverberating within Shruikan's heart. The wind seemed to pick up slightly as if to answer the chilling call. The black dragon looked his way and saw that his master's body was expanding and contracting as his massive lungs tried to get oxygen through his body. He also noticed that Veltrose's now pale-blue eyes were trained on him. The mischievous spark was absent as the eyes were now dull with pain and fright. They were only opened part way as that was as far as his tired body would allow him to open them. He continued to breathe heavily. The sound of the air rushing in and out of his nostrils worried Shruikan even more. _Shruikan…help me up,_ Veltrose called. Even his voice sounded very tired. The black dragon would even go as far as to say that it even sounded lifeless. The wind whipping around him had more life then his friend in front of him. Thorn stood to the side, watching the exchange between the two dragons.

_Are you sure? _Shruikan asked with concern clear in his eyes. _You're in great pain, Veltrose. I don't think it wise that…_

Veltrose cut his former student off with a growl followed by a wheezing and hacking sound as he proceeded to cough. A small fireball was inadvertedly launched out of his maw and onto the ground in front of him creating a bare and blackened spot in the dirt. Steam rose from the spot as the dusting of snow evaporated almost instantaneously. _I did not ask you what you were thinking,_ he stated in an angered tone as his eyes narrowed and shifted to the ground. He grunted a few times as he rolled onto his stomach. He moaned a bit in pain when a rock stabbed his side as he rolled. _Just help me up, I must show you something at once! It's very near here,_ he announced in a rushing tone, begging for them to be on their way so he can show them what must be shown immediately. _Lives are in danger, Shruikan. Please…help me up._ He stared back at Shruikan and even Thorn with pleading eyes.

That look from his master's eyes scared Shruikan which really says something because he does not get frightened very easily. Veltrose, who is actually in reality a massive dragon—almost twice the size of Shruikan—looked small. He looked much smaller than usual and that made the black dragon feel sick to his stomach. Veltrose was supposed to be happy, carefree, maybe even say an occasional dirty joke once in a while. But now…Shruikan felt like he just was not looking at the same dragon anymore. He did not care that the previously strong gale had completely disappeared as well as the massive storm above them. It was gently snowing now as it should be, but he did not care nor did he take his eyes off of Veltrose as if he was in fear that he would disappear even in the blink of an eye. Finally, he gestured for Thorn to come over and told him to place his body beneath Veltrose's right wing-joint while he will take the left so that they can both pull the massive-but-small dragon up together.

However, when Shruikan walked around Veltrose to take his place on the elder's left side, he froze. _No…,_ he gasped out as he discovered the full extent of the dragon's numerous injuries. Before, he thought that it was a miracle that his master only had a few scratches and some missing scales which would quickly heal and grow back. But there was more…much more. Shruikan thought back as he tried to remember how this injury came to be. In his mind's eye, he was still running through the forest with Thorn chasing after him. He looked up when he heard a terrifying roar of pain. The two dragons seemed to have become one as they tumbled out of the angry, cold, grey clouds of the storm. The green dragon was biting down on what Shruikan now guessed to be his master's left wing while Veltrose, in return, bit on the other one's neck ferociously. He remembered how he then kicked the other dragon to the ground after finally killing him and how Veltrose attempted to land but, instead, was seen tumbling out of the sky when he lost control. When he finally crashed into the ground, a bold of lightning flashed through the clouds signifying the end of that fateful fight as well as Shruikan's memory of the tragedy as he was pulled back into the real world as he then found himself still staring at the massive gash in the left wing-joint. It seems as if the other dragon took out a lot of muscle from this crucial area which provides all of the strength a dragon needs to sustain flight. Now, Shruikan definitely felt sick as he stared at the torn, pink muscle that was now exposed to the elements. There should be more but it just was not there anymore. Without that…a dragon cannot even hope to fly for it would just be impossible.

The black dragon tore his eyes away from the horrendous and sickening sight and was startled when he saw the white elder glaring at him with narrowed eyes that now seemed a violent dark blue. _Master…your wing…, _Shruikan began but was harshly cut off.

_I said: help…me…up,_ Veltrose spat out with anger while accentuating each individual word of the phrase he kept on repeating. However, at the look of hurt in his student's eyes, he released his pent-up frustration in a deep sigh; his breath being clearly seen in the frigid air that went unnoticed by everybody. _Please…_

Shruikan noticed the irony in the phrase 'help me up' and could not stop himself from thinking about it. _Help you up where?_ he thought to himself as he brought his head down beneath his master's wing. _To the sky? To the heavens and stars above so that you can fly to the moon?_ Along with the help of Thorn, they both managed to bring Veltrose up onto his feet. The white dragon staggered as he took a step forward. Both Thorn and Shruikan remained at his side to help him walk forward as he began to lead the two of them to an unknown destination as they began to walk towards a large mountain in front of them. Shrukan continue to think to himself as they slowly made progress towards the bare sidewall of the mountain. The snow still fell lazily around them, melting instantaneously as individual flakes made contact with their scales; Veltrose twitched in silent agony as they fell into his wound. _No matter where you want to go, I will proudly help you up._

Soon, after they traversed step by agonizing step, they went around a rather steep but small hill directly in front of the cliff-face of the mountain that towered above them while making Shruikan feel as if he had shrunk in the world. There was a large rock directly in front of them that was leaning against the rock wall. Shruikan could not help but to stare at it, taking in each crack and fissure of the large piece of earth. He suddenly felt his former master take the last remaining steps by himself and stop when his nose was inches from the rock with shaking legs and a heavy breath. Then, he closed his eyes and placed his snout gently upon the rock. Thorn and Shruikan could not keep their eyes away nor did either of them dare to blink and miss the spectacle before them.

Shruikan then noticed that the rock began to glow a light blue. He then gasped when he saw his master suddenly walk _through_ the rock as if it was not even there…but it was. Or, at least, it looked like it was. _An allusion,_ Shruikan thought to himself. _Come, Thorn,_ he called to the red dragon whose crimson eyes were opened wide at the retreating figure of the massive dragon.

The black dragon then walked through the allusion of the rock as well once Veltrose's tail passed through the fake stone looking like a spiky, albino snake. When he and Thorn arrived on the other side, it was unsurprisingly dark. When Shruikan turned around, he noticed that the now rising moon was only providing just a little bit of life on what he now knows is a hidden cave.

_Shruikan,_ Veltrose spoke after he gently began to lower himself back onto the floor to lie down while keeping his head held high to look at both Thorn and Shruikan. _No doubt you have seen me fight that thing if you were able to find me so quickly._ Then, for the first time that day, a small smile appeared on his muzzle but his eyes still remained pale and impassive. _I thank you for that._

The black dragon merely nodded. It was Thorn who spoke up. _If I may,_ the youngling hesitated slowly before continuing. _Who was that other dragon?_

Shruikan, although slightly angered that Thorn was trying to get Veltrose to speak of the incident when the elder looked like he clearly just wanted to forget all about it, could not help but be intrigued by the answer.

_He was no dragon,_ he growled which greatly confused his two friends. _He was a monster. But the subject of who that thing was is not important. What _is _important is the reason why that_ _thing was here._ He then concentrated his eyes upon Shruikan. The white dragon's eyes seemed to grow darker in anger as he was trying to figure how to best tell his former student the reason as to why the intruder was there to begin with. He then decided to just speak the full truth. _He was sent by Fraener, Shruikan. He was going to go to the village to get your rider._

Now, it was Shruikan who was the one that was growling fiercely with his lips pulled up to reveal dagger-like teeth in a loud snarl before Veltrose told him to calm down. Before he could speak, Veltrose continued.

_The villagers are no longer safe in their homes, I must protect them. I have already failed once but I sure as hell will not fail again!_ he snorted matter-of-factly. His old self began to return to Shruikan's happiness. He would not tell them of the previous raid that the other monster spoke of. That, he will keep to himself. He overrode the black dragon again when he said, _Years ago, when I first arrived at this valley, once the village had finally been established, I created a safe spot just in case something like this were to occur. It took me over a decade before I finally finished it but when I did, I was satisfied. I never brought the village to the safe spot before yet because then that would look suspicious to the king. He would begin to wonder how in the hell an entire village can just disappear under his nose and he would know that something was going on…that there could be a resistance and he would stop at nothing to figure out where they are. Besides, once the village forgot that I even exist, I knew I would have a difficult time to bring them to the safe spot._

Shruikan was astounded. He had just gained a whole new respect for his master as he would have never even thought of creating such a place were he in his master's position. _But where is this safe spot?_ he found himself asking.

Then, Shruikan noticed a smirk fall upon Veltrose's muzzle as that mischievous spark returned to his eyes as they once again retained their young, icy blue color. _Your standing in it,_ he stated. Then, he turned around, opened his maw, and emitted a small flame into what seemed to be a trough dug into the wall behind him. That small flame suddenly ignited something in the trough and quickly grew. Not in height…but in length. The flame suddenly expanded and raced down the trough to Shruikan's amazement for the it was longer then it first appeared to be as was the cave when it began to light up the wall and a bit of the cave floor. The flame continued to race down into the cavern before it seemed to come into a fork in which it then split into two separate streams of fire. They began to race up the walls and twist and turn around each other creating a coil of fire as it revealed what Shruikan once thought to be a small cave to actually be a massive cavern which would be capable of fitting the whole village…perhaps even two villages! The cavern was a giant, upside-down bowl with a curved dome resting above the massive circular floor below. Shruikan's and Thorn's attention went back to the flames as they then went onto the ceiling in an overhanging, rocky trough which lit up the roof. Finally, the two individual flames met once again in the very center of the ceiling. The cavern was now filled with the crackling sound of the fire as shadows danced all over the cavern.

_Welcome to the new village,_ they heard Veltrose say. They turned back to him and saw that he gained a new determined look upon his muzzle and eyes. _Fraener made his first move…now it's our turn._

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Please review with honest opinions and suggestions to improve my writing. You guys really are amazing!

Sincerely,

_The Aviator_


	16. The Dragon's Plea and the King's Plight

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I present to you all a brand new and completed chapter! I would like to thank all of my wonderful reviewers including Dragonfan47 who managed to get me to move my butt and complete this new chapter after a year-and-a-half absence. Thanks for waiting patiently, everybody! =D

**ALL _SIGNED_ REVIEWERS WILL RECEIVE A PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 17!**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle under any circumstances. The book was written by Christopher Paolini and published by the KNOPF Publishing Company. This fanfic is a mere extension of my twisted but awesome imagination. I only own the plot and my original characters and places._**

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The forever moody skies over the castle of Frostloral _cracked!_ with thunder as the storm from Crystilla moved on over the evil dragon king's place of residency. This storm went mostly unnoticed by those running out and about the castle. However, there was one dragon that paused in a hallway to look out from the large, gothic styled arched windows and towards the raging storm taking place outside. His golden eyes were wide and alive rather than dark and emotionless like the other mindless beasts serving the king. A bolt of lightning sliced through the heavens as if ripping them apart, its brilliant light reflecting off of the dragon's midnight blue scales that would rival the darkness of the skies.

The dragon smiled softly as he imagined flying through the storm. Most dragons would be scared scale-less with even the thought of flying through a massive storm like this. However, the midnight-blue dragon would remember times of old in which he would dart through lightning strikes and even chase after them! Oh, how daring it was! The excitement! The thrill! The chance of imminent death thrilled him to no end as his heart began to race with adrenaline by just the thought of daring death. Oh, how he wished he could fly! He nearly did, too as he leapt up onto his hind feet with his front paws placed on the ledge of the window. He nearly leapt too. But then...

_Outsider,_ a voice entered this mysterious dragon's mind.

The midnight beast craned his neck over to the dimly lit interior of the hallway that was only lit by the dwarves' everlasting torches—a product from Alagaësia in the South. His golden eyes narrowed in disgust as he cast his gaze upon another dragon with ragged, dirtied, and yellowed scales. _What do you want?_ he growled as he placed his front paws back down upon the ground. He never had any fun around here. _Then again, I'm not here for the fun, am I? _he mentally sighed to himself as he remembered his true purpose for being here.

He then looked back at the other dragon invading his personal space. He hated speaking to other dragons in the castle. _Traitors, all of them,_ he thought to himself, lest he incite an unneeded battle and anger the king even further. He was already being watched like a hawk. He does not want to give Fraener even more of a reason to not trust him.

_Our Majesty requests your presence,_ the other dragon spoke before he turned tail and padded down the halls to do his chores. The only sound that permeated the air was the silent clicking of massive and disgusting claws upon the stony ground as the beast disappeared around the corner.

The dragon of the night snorted softly before he began to walk in the opposite direction to enter the king's room. It was not a long walk at all. Every once in a while, he would find himself looking back into the sky through the occasional window that he would pass and mourn the loss of his rider. However, he shook his head and remembered his rider's plan to liberate Frostloral. He remembered his mission.

Soon, he finally came across the massive, rotting oak doors of the King's room. He pressed his snout against the door and pushed it open, not even caring about knocking on it with his tail to alert Fraener of his presence. He always sought to irk the king in every way possible even if it included talking back, refusing to call him King, or just generally acting clumsy around him. Nothing that would anger the king too much, just annoy him. He smirked to himself as he casually remembered an incident in which he _accidentally_ ripped the king's priceless rug. However, the smirk quickly diminished once he entered the room that was only lit by the moon from the skylight high above as it peeked between clouds to glance at the world beneath it. The occasional flash of lightning also provided a little more light to the dark room. However, the dragon's warm golden eyes were able to pick out the king walking towards him from a map that he had been glancing at.

"Ah, yes. The Outsider. You came. I was beginning to think that you had lost your way," the king humorlessly chuckled.

_What do you want, Fraener?_ the outsider dragon asked with a straight face; eyes narrowed dangerously as if the fires of Hell were itching to come through and he was attempting to hold them back. His claws clicked impatiently at the stone floor. He glanced at the bones that littered the whole room and inwardly growled in disgust when he noticed human bones.

"What, still not calling me by my rightful title, Outsider?" the king feigned shock.

_What, you mean Traitor?_ the midnight dragon spat. Smoke poured out of his nostrils angrily as his claws created grooves in the stone at his feet. _F__ather-Slayer? Maneater? The Brother with no Brother? Please, there are so many "rightful" titles to even bother remembering, Fraener._ He began growling.

The king scowled angrily as he stopped inches from the other dragon's snout with narrowed eyes. "I have no brother," he whispered dangerously. The few seconds of silence that followed sounded deafening to the midnight dragon's ears. "You would do well to remember that." He had expected this attitude from the outsider so he continued, "I want to know what's going on."

_Oh?_ the outsider asked in mock curiosity; eyes widening with (obviously fake) interest.

"Yes. I seem to have lost my Silver Hand. I can no longer access his mind through his sword. I cannot even find out where he is. My last assassin to kill my _darling_ Shuikan's rider also seems to have disappeared—possibly killed! And now, I hear that there are more free dragons in my country!" He began to circle around the midnight dragon but the outsider did not seem to care as he continued to look forward into the dark. His claws clicked upon the stone with growing impatience. He did not see the shocked expression on the other's face as he heard the last part. "You're up to something, my dear Shadow. You're plotting something and hiding it from me. I still cannot access your mind at all. Somehow, you seem to have an impenetrable block that I have not seen before. I do not know what kind of magic it is, but whatever it is, I do not like it." He stopped in front of the dragon's snout once again and stared deeply into his eyes as if he could find the answer that way. "What is blocking me from looking into your mind?"

The outsider dragon outwardly smirked in front of the dragon king. He then answered with only one word,_ Love._ Then, he pretended to be correcting himself while purposely stumbling over his words to further annoy Fraener. _Well, it's not simply just "love" as you can imagine. That is merely the primary cause of it. Love can make humans (even dragons before Your Highness stepped in!) do crazy things._ He winked. _And some of those crazy things can lead to the most powerful magic of all, My Good King. But, then again, you wouldn't know about that, now would you?_

The king arched an eyeridge at this one word. "Love?" he drawled out as he continued to stare into the outsider's eyes while completely ignoring the damned dragon's supercilious and rambunctious words.

_Ah, see?_ the dragon of the night tilted his head. _You really don't understand the concept, do you?_

Ignoring him, Fraener sat down on his haunches in front of the midnight dragon. He made a show of himself settling down as if he were a child impatiently waiting for a story. "Why don't you clarify for me because I do not believe that this one word: love...," he spat the last word out as if it were a deadly poison, "is enough to allow me to understand what it is that you are hiding."

Then, as quick as a whip, Fraener's tail suddenly shot out from behind him and wrapped itself around the other dragon's snout bringing him closer to his face. Through clenched teeth, he spoke, "I don't enjoy playing games, traitor!"

The other dragon adopted a disgusted expression on his snout as he eyed the tail wrapped around it with contempt. _Perhaps I would be more willing to participate in your interesting games if you would simply just remove your horrendously unsanitary tail from my nose. Deal?_ He then lifted a clawed paw up to his snout and carefully removed the offending scaly whip with two claws as if he was removing the most unholy thing in all of Frostloral. _Then again..., _he thought to himself with a mental smirk.

"You are _really_ trying my patience," Fraener growled testily while showing his yellowed fangs in a snarl as if he was about to attack upon the next snide remark. Of course, knowing the king, this must be what he was planning to do, after all.

_Yes, and you are really trying my patience as well, my dear Fraener,_ the shadow dragon snorted distastefully. _You have been trying it for the last...oh, how many years has it been? Twenty? Thirty? A life time?_ His eyes then shifted from a bored yet playful expression to a sad and tiring one. He bowed his head slightly. His previously warm golden eyes seemed to have lost their jewel-like luster and even looked to have aged just then. His almost black scales looked as if they were about to fall any second._ How much longer are we going to play this game, Fraener? For what reason did you choose to destroy this once beautiful land? Why did you have to destroy so many innocents? Women? Children? How many more must die before you are pleased, Fraener?_

"You know damn well why." The King quietly growled while adopting a crazed look. His eyes were wide, pupils narrowed, his jaw set.

The outsider dragon nodded once while noting how the king did not answer his last question. He then rose up to his feet and turned tail to begin a slow and steady march towards the door while being mindful of the bones on the ground. _They have suffered enough already. Best not destroy their bodies even more by stepping on them, _he silently thought. He walked carefully. Slowly. He treated each remains with respect while sighing with more tiredness. He felt old at that moment. He no longer felt that youthful spark from when he had been glancing out of the window at the lightning previously.

"Don't turn your back on me, damnit!" the king snapped while reaching a claw forward to strike his tail.

He missed. With increasing anger, he then threw out a flame aimed right for the traitor's back.

He missed again. He had aimed true and he had more than enough practice throughout the years but yet he missed. He was not surprised, however. He knew that there was some kind of unknown magic surrounding the traitorous (in his eyes) dragon.

The dragon of the night froze mid-step and sighed once more. He turned his head around and glanced upon the soul-less eyes of the king._ And yet, you have already turned your back upon yourself, Your Majesty._ His voice that was previously uncaring yet amusedly (not to the king, mind you!) sarcastic had now adopted an empty tone devoid of all emotion.

Fraener paused suddenly as he was unused to this. His eyes now narrowed in a slightly angered curiosity rather than an untamed and crazed fury.

Without another word, the dragon of the night nudged the doors open with his snout, casted the same sad gaze upon the mindless soldiers guarding the door outside, and allowed his feet to take him wherever as the doors swung closed with a bang behind him.

The Dragon King's eyes were still narrowed at the door and upon the dragon's tail as it whisked around the corner and out of sight before the door closed.

-X-X-X-X-X-

_Where in the hell are we, again?_ Shruikan asked as he took a few steps down the hallway until he was at the actual entrance to the massive cavern. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed Thorn pad up beside him as well with his jaw still dropped.

_...and how does this place even exist? _Thorn asked, amazed. His jaw was almost near his feet now and would have appeared comical to a human if one was present at the moment. He simply joined Shruikan in glancing back and forth across the massive cavern. He then glanced behind him and towards the entrance of the secretive cavern as if imaging some sort of magical portal that had transported the three of them to this fantastical place. He then voiced his question. _How are we here? Did we pass through some sort of portal, Veltrose? This place would most certainly have been impossible for you to have excavated within a few years._

_We're right here, that's where we are,_ Veltroe answered as he too stepped up besides the other two shocked dragons and looked at his many years of hard work with pride. He then looked upwards in the center of the cavernous ceiling where the two different streams of flames met after twisting around each other in a spectacular tango. _Right inside of the mountain. _

Veltrose then acquired a far-off expression across his muzzle as he looked up as if he was looking into the past. _It took me years and a lot of magic to excavate the rock. Years and a lot of magic, my friends. _He then sighed deeply as if he was remembering an unpleasant memory.

_Then again,_ Shruikan thought to himself with a frown. _Knowing him, he's probably thinking of his rider once again._ He then glanced away from the cavern and looked upon the elder who was still trying to figure out exactly what to say. Then…

_If there is one positive outcome that came from me being rider-less, it would be that my magic has become uncontained and mostly unrestricted. _Veltrose then glanced down at his paws as he became deep in thought once again. He began walking forward and stepped around the circumference of the cavern. Shruikan and Thorn glanced at each other before following Veltrose._ With a rider, it is quite difficult to use your magic. It is as if there is some sort of block or a limit upon it. But with your rider gone, all of your magic is unblocked and it is nearly limitless. _Veltrose stopped short by the wall when he came upon a large stalactite sticking out of the smooth wall. After staring at it for a few seconds, the jutting rock glowed a magical blue as it shrunk until it became flushed with the wall once more.

Shruikan and Thorn gasped as they observed the magic right in front of their eyes. True to the elder's words, his magic just appeared naturally. He did not even appear to be struggling as he used his magic. He did not even use an incantation or a spell! It just…happened. The wall was once again smooth and flawless. Usually, a dragon's magic is extremely instinctive. A dragon cannot just _will_ the magic to occur. It just does at key moments in the dragon's life.

Veltrose then began to speak once more after one last glance at the wall to ensure that his magic performed as expected. He looked to Shruikan. _That is why Fraener_—_your brother, Shruikan_—_had all of the riders murdered rather than enslaved so that he can release the magic of his enslaved dragons and make them far stronger and more dangerous. _He then continued walking once more. _That dragon that I fought against earlier was strong...unusually strong. I should have died when I crashed into the ground. There would have been nothing left of my body for you to shame an old brute like me with your tears, Shruikan, _he chuckled as his eyes were filled with some mirth after all that had happened to him. _My magic saved me. It somehow cushioned my fall enough to have allowed me to survive. Of course, it still hurt like a bastard but I still managed to survive!_

_What happened to him? _Thorn asked as he began to worry about Veltrose. _The other dragon, I mean. _He may have just met this insane dragon, but he has slowly begun to look up to him. The only dragons he met in his life were usually cruel, thought highly of themself, or (like Shruikan before he learned his rider was alive) just seemed depressed. Then there was Saphira but Thorn never really placed her in a specific sub-category of dragons yet. He mentally shook his head to focus back on Veltrose. The elder dragon once again held a proud expression as he turned to Thorn and winked. _I shamed that bastard's family and sent him into the ground, that's what happened to him!_

Thorn let loose a throaty chuckle as he felt his admiration of the insane dragon grow.

Even Shruikan laughed. _You're not old yet, are you, you old coot?_ Shruikan congratulated. _I'm surprised you still have it in you after all those years living in that damned cave!_

_I may have taught you everything you know, Shruikan. But don't you dare begin to think that I have taught you everything that _I _know, _Veltrose admonished. He then craned his long neck around to observe his left wing and sighed.

Up until that point, Thorn and Shruikan had actually completely forgotten about the old dragon's destroyed wing. However, it was hard to miss it now when Veltrose moved and unfurled his left wing while hissing from the pain to observe the damage.

As Shruikan observed it, he was glad to see how the bleeding had finally stopped and new scales were already forming where the older ones had been ripped out. However, Shruikan's eyes widened when he noticed that skin was even stretching over the wing joint in which the other dragon bit at. He then smiled as he became hopeful. However, this hope was quickly destroyed upon his master's next words.

_Damned bastard was lucky. _His ice-blue eyes narrowed in anger. _My released magic is healing me up nicely but no amount of magic will ever give me back the gift of flight. _Upon seeing the questioning looks from the other two dragons, he explained. _Magic can heal simple wounds like cuts and even broken bones but muscle is complex. Too complex for even magic to heal._ Then, when Veltrose was sick from the sight, he folded his wing back up into its resting position and began snarling in anger. He began stomping his feet for each step and flames could even be visible coming from his nostrils. _That monster took away my gift of flight and I'm not getting it back!_

Shruikan then stepped forward and was about to console his friend but Veltrose turned around and eyed the two other dragons. Shruikan froze when the elder's narrowed eyes searched their souls as if trying to find out exactly what it is that makes the two dragons before him tick. These eyes unnerved Shruikan for there was no longer a mischievous spark nor was there a sarcastic glint within those icy-blue eyes. There was not even self-shame from when he was forced to brutally murder his rider or anger for the state of his once beautiful land or for his inability to fly. No, now there was nothing but a furious flame held within his eyes just begging to be released. They were flames full of the need to fight, flames full of unrivaled fury that should it not be released, it would tear the old dragon apart. But more importantly, there were flames of hope that everything will turn out alright in the end. However, this spectacular fire scared Shruikan. _Veltrose?_ Shruikan called unsurely.

_And you know what? _Veltrose continued as the icy fire in his eyes intensified even more when he narrowed them further. _I'm okay with that. I'm okay with my flight having been taken away because I have been lazy lately, Shruikan. _The elder dragon then stepped closer to Shruikan and eyed him wearily with those intense eyes; eyes that intimidated Shruikan and made Thorn quiver with fear even though he somehow knew that he would not get hurt.

_And I'm done with being lazy._

Veltrose then turned tail to once again admire his creation. The fire lighting up the cavern continued to crackle and pop around them and their light never wavered which surprised Shruikan for surely, the fire must be running out of fuel. Veltrose cannot be powerful enough to keep the fire alight with magic, could he? _Then again, _Shruikan thought, _if he was able to create this monstrosity in a few short years, then surely a simple spell to keep a fire lit would be child's-play for him._

The intense eyes of the elder continued to scope out his masterpiece from the simple and flat floor to the looming and cavernous ceiling, from the beautiful twirling and dancing flames of the cavern that invited hope to the spectacular shadows they cast on the ground. As he observed it all, he spoke.

_This safe house will hold the entire village of Crystilla plus others if we find more villages to join our cause. It will keep them safe. I designed this place with multiple vents near the ceiling for blacksmiths to be able to forge their weapons and cooks to feed the village so that the smoke they emit will escape and not be stuck in the cavern. The vents branch off into different areas of the forest to emit small amounts of smoke at a time. That is to avoid detection of Fraener and his forces of monsters and humans who have lost all hope. _Veltrose looked down to the stone beneath his feet and pawed at the ground. _This area is built on top of an underground river that flows from the lake so clean water will not be a problem at all. _He then looked back at the two other dragons. His eyes were no longer narrowed but they still held that fire. _Shruikan, this can work! We can battle while staying hidden!_

But Shruikan sighed and shook his head as he discovered a few problems. _But what about food, Veltrose?_

_Of course there are always going to be risks, Shruikan. We will have to have hunters go out and find food while staying hidden. We'll have to go out ourselves, of course, _Veltrose explained.

_What about clean air?_

_Again, the vents should solve that problem. We'll always have fresh air to breath here._

_Waste disposal?_

_I'll magic it away if I have to!_

_But what about the villagers themselves?_

Shruikan and Veltrose froze at that last remark for neither of them had spoken it. They both turned and noticed that it had been Thorn that had spoken. Shruikan had completely forgotten that the young lad was even there to begin with for he was so quiet. The young, ruby-red dragon cocked his head slightly to the right as he rose to his feet and stepped forward to join the other two. His voice had been quiet for he felt unsure of himself interrupting the two others and upsetting them. They're older and far wiser, after all. They know a lot more than him, right? But still, there was a nagging thought that continued to prod at young Thorn's mind as if begging to be let out. He hoped that he would not upset them, but...

_The villagers, _Thorn repeated in a shy and timid voice. _You're asking them to leave their home, Master Veltrose. They built their lives in the village and you're just going to force them to move somewhere else? Families may be torn apart as they argue with one another on what is the best decision for this is most definitely a huge thing you are asking of them._

Thorn then stood strong and proudly as he began to gain momentum as the words just naturally came from his mind, his experience…his heart. _In the past, Murtagh and I were forced to gain more soldiers for the war so we flew to the town of Ealdor. It resided on the coast just West of Kuasta on the other side of The Spine. You won't find that town on a map anymore for when we asked for soldiers, men that had thought were doing the right thing came to us but they left behind devastated wives and children. When we stayed overnight, the two of us were haunted by screams erupting from many homes. There were shouting matches between husbands and wives. Houses were being torn apart at the heart!_

Thorn's voice grew stronger yet his front legs quivered as he remembered that horrible night._ You could hear hearts breaking throughout the night. The cries of sleepy children erupted through the air as well when they woke to their parents fighting. Finally, in the morning, with several hundred men behind us, we left the town of Ealdor. However, months later, we returned with a few of the same men as they pleaded to see their loved ones once again to apologize. When we returned, Ealdor was in ruins. It was a large and important port town but there was absolutely no one remaining. Those of Kuasta reported having been sent letters by the women of Ealdor asking for assistance in moving. Kuasta accepted a few and sent others to the North in Teirm. However, the families never made it for The Spine was a wild and dangerous territory. Those that had stayed in Ealdor never made it either for they were attacked by pirates. The bodies of women and even children lined the streets with swords in their hands as they attempted to fight for their lives! They had done well for there were many more bodies of pirates than those of Ealdor. But they had been overrun. A great town of many had been reduced greatly when we took the men. They had no chance._

Thorn shivered but had been urged by his master, Shruikan to go on. _There was even a woman with a sword in her hand whose body was draped over a crib in her home with two younglings. Without their mother to care for them, the young ones had died. The men who walked like ghosts through the town observing the tragedy were destroyed in heart and mind. A few even plunged their own blades through their hearts to escape the pain with a quick death as if hoping to find their loved once again. Veltrose, there will always be those that disagree with you over a monumental decision like this. I already feel responsible for wiping that town off the map. Will you be able to live with that ache in your heart? _Thorn then growled as he looked down at his paws. _Because I cannot. I felt as if a part of me had died with Ealdor that night. Sharing my pain with Murtagh is the only thing that kept me going. I ask again, Veltroe. _Thorn then looked up and stared at the elder with haunted eyes.

_Will you live with that pain should this happen once more?_

Veltrose sighed upon hearing Thorn's words as he began to think over them. He turned around once more to face the entrance of the massive dome as if he was able to see the village from where he was standing. _I understand where you are coming from, lad. Really, I do, _he spoke with a soft determination. _But I have already failed the village once and I would be damned should it happen again!_ He then eyed his two companions and gestured to the safe house around them. _This place will be filled with the entire village of Crystilla tonight!_

_Tonight?! _both Shruikan and Thorn shouted together.

_This is too big of a choice for them to make in a few hours! You must reconsider, Veltrose! _Thorn pleaded as his eyes scanned the entire underground room frantically. After all, moving an entire village underground in an evening? That would be impossible! Incomprehensible!

_Old friend, how are you going to manage to do this? Thorn speaks the truth! There are perhaps only a few hours left of the day, there is no way!_ He shook his head when he saw Veltrose turn his back to them once more as if he was hearing nothing but blasphemy. A calculated look came to his eyes beside the fire that already took residence in them. _Veltrose, you know that I have already foolishly visited the village to find my rider! You know that she obviously denied me being her dragon; her life partner! And I am willing to venture a guess that you know how that village feels about dragons. They ran from us as if we were criminals! They will refuse to even listen to you, Veltrose!_ The elder dragon then began to take slow and careful steps towards the entrance, no longer showing signs of limping or injury. _Veltrose?! _Shruikan roared out in a deep and commanding tone that he would normally never use against his old master but this time he felt it was necessary as he refused to be ignored in something as monumental as this.

Veltrose paused and spoke out without even turning around. _I will do what I must to save the entire population of Crystilla. This is the first step to taking the kingdom of Frostloral back from the traitorous Fraener._ Neither Shruikan nor Thorn were able to see the elder's face, but if they had, they would have seen him close his eyes tightly from an inner turmoil that had resided within the old beast's heart for years and had strengthened upon learning that he had failed in protecting the precious village once already. _Crystilla is the only village that Fraener had failed to win over so far. People there still hold hope that things will be better in the future. That Fraener will be vanquished. They would have done it themselves by now but they're smart. They know they have no chance of winning against an army of dragons. With that thought, their combined hope has drained little by little over the years. Most of them don't even know I exist! _He then opened his eyes once more. A dark shadow was cast across his scaly muzzle. The only things clearly visible were his eyes as they narrowed. _They _had _no chance,_ he corrected. _But now, with the heroes of Alagaësia __on their side along with myself, perhaps that burning hope in them would once again rekindle at the sight of four fully grown dragons and their riders along with two adolescent dragons, they can dare to hope again._ He looked back for his next words. _They will fight with that hope. They will know that now, the scale has begun to tip ever so slightly in their favor. They will know within their hearts that this is the best thing that they can do for their loved ones._ He looked forward once more.

_Again, I'm done being lazy._

Once those words were said, Veltrose suddenly took off into a sprint and ran towards the entrance of the massive cavern. Shruikan's eyes widened when he observed the odd spectacle of his old master running at full speed after having just suffered injuries from a dragon fight and crashing into the ground. His main thought as he froze dumbfounded was, _How is he running that quickly after everything that had happened to him?_ Then, for some reason, he looked to his side to see if Thorn was watching as well so that he would know whether or not his eyes were playing tricks on him. However, Thorn was not there. At the sound of a second set of claws striking the stone floor, he turned back and saw Thorn in pursuit of Veltrose who had already ran through the allusion of a rock protecting the cavern from unwanted eyes. Then, once his mind was finally cleared and he realized that the insane elderly dragon had indeed ran away at high speed, Shruikan finally took off after them.

As Shruikan ran, the spiraling flames that had illuminated the entire structure began to diminish before finally going completely dark as he approached the entrance of the cavern. Even though he knew that the massive rock in his path was an illusion, Shruikan still forced his eyes shut as he ran while subconsciously imagining unimaginable pain should he slam into a real rock instead. Thankfully, he passed through with no problem as he felt his feet dig through snow but then he managed to hit another obstruction which sent him tumbling outside. Once he was settled back onto the ground, he had noticed that the object he had collided with was not the rock wall, but Thorn who now appeared dazed while picking himself up from the ground. Shruikan merely shook himself before asking Thorn where Veltrose had disappeared off to.

The young dragon shook once more to clear the dizziness that had taken over his eyes before he simply turned around and pointed with his snout up the rocky wall that made up the exterior mountain that housed the cavern within it. _He is up there, Master, _Thorn answered while raising a paw up to his snout to soothe it from the collision with Shruikan.

Shruikan's eyes widened. He then whipped his body around to glance up the mountain and, sure enough, Veltrose had somehow made it to the top of the mountain and was now standing on a ledge with his wings held open beside him. He appeared to be eyeing something off in the distance. To Shruikan's horror, the town of Crystilla appeared to be the object of Veltrose's interest. _Veltrose!_ Shruikan roared at the top of his lungs to try to get the dragon's attention but all it did was confirm something within the white dragon's mind for, after a quick glance at his pursuers, Veltrose then took a mighty leap off of the ledge with his wings held open. Shruikan could have sworn that his heart had stopped right there. He felt the blood that had been flowing throughout his entire body suddenly freeze in place. Ice flowed through his veins and Shruikan's eyes looked to have had widened even more if that were possible. It even seemed as if the entire world stopped for the only sound that permeated through Shruikan's ears was that of his frozen heart.

The black dragon then swung his neck around to glance at his injured wing that was still throbbing from when he was forced to fly after the ice beneath his feet had broken up when he was trying to get to his master's crash-landing sight. There was no way Shruikan could fly with his wing still acting up. As a matter of fact, there was no way that Veltrose should be able to fly either! Even with his powerful magic, it would just be impossible. So what had convinced his old master that it would be a wonderful idea to throw himself off of a cliff when he had already previously explained that there would be absolutely no way for him to fly ever again?

The answer came to Shruikan when he mournfully glanced to the spot where he last saw his master expecting to see nothing there. He sighed when there really was no absolutely insane dragon there at all. Thorn came closer to him as if to console his master. However, when he was about to close his eyes, he caught something in his peripheral vision. Curious, he glanced at it only to nearly drop his jaw in shock.

Even Thorn noticed his master's odd mannerisms when he saw Shruikan focus on a specific area of the sky. He too looked up and joined his master in shocked silence for there, flying towards the village, was a large and determined looking dragon. But on closer observation, both Thorn and Shruikan could see that the elder was not flying at all for he was slowly sinking towards the ground without flapping his wings. He was not flying at all, he was _gliding!_

Shruikan then turned to Thorn. _Lad, I need you to fly to Veltrose's cave immediately and bring everyone to the village. We may need all the help we can get!_ he ordered.

Thorn nodded once and threw himself into the air and brought his massive wings down with a mighty flap as he commanded the air to bend to his will. He then flew off in the opposite direction towards the cave where they first met the elder.

The black dragon then threw caution to the wind and took off running towards the village. All he knew was that his master needed his help whether or not the idiot knew it.

-X-X-X-X-X-

The quaint little village of Crystilla is normally a very quiet town. However, now, it was in absolute chaos. Above the village, as if it were imitating the mess below, the clouds appeared to be mixing and churning among each other after the rainfall that had occurred earlier that day. A few rays of sunlight poked through the clouds just enough for the residents below to discern that it was, in fact, still daytime. However, despite the sunlight, the villagers were suffering a nightmare as they were currently under an attack by a dragon that appeared to be gliding towards them from a lone mountain several miles away to the East.

The dragon was first sighted by a baker bringing in wheat into his shop. He then dropped the heavy load and pointed to the sky while shouting to those around him a few seconds ago. Each second seemed to drag on unnaturally long to the villagers as mothers and fathers (even complete strangers!) once again ushered children towards their respective homes. Window shutters were slamming shut and the sounds of doors locking in multiple places could be heard as families hid themselves within their homes hoping that, perhaps, their wooden houses would somehow stand strong against dragon fire. Blacksmiths were pulling out each and every one of their weapons and placing them in open-ended barrels outside of their forges to allow village men to pick them up and build up a strong force to deter the dragon from the village.

Briam was one of those men heading towards a forge but for a different reason as he ran out of the door of his house, jumped over the banister of the small porch in the front, and threw the door to the forge open that was located right next door to the house. He startled the two occupants inside who were hurriedly shoving weapons outside for others to take and defend the village with. Elidor was currently being assisted by Amelia who spun around with a finished sword in her hand and was about to slash the intruder when she recognized him.

"Briam?" Amelia questioned as she handed the sword to Elidor who placed it outside with the rest. "What are you doing here? Go inside!"

"I think I know how to defend myself, thank you very much!" Briam growled as he became offended when his defensive skills were called into question. "And I think you both know very well what I'm doing here. Elidor! Mother wants us inside the house, now!" He turned back to Amelia. "You too. There's no time to be choosy about where to stay."

"Hell no!" Elidor exclaimed as he scampered around the still burning fire in the messy forge carefully while looking for more finished weapons to bring outside. How he managed not to trip and fall into the intense flames was lost on Briam and their mother. When Elidor was unable to find more weapons, he picked up a bucket of water that was submerged in a barrel full of rainwater just outside of one of the windows under a leaky gutter. He then brought the bucker into the forge and began sprinkling water onto the fire to begin dousing it. If he dumped it all at once, he might cause an explosion from the onslaught of escaping steam. "I'm going out there to defend my villge!" he argued.

Briam then took several steps to stand right next to his brother. He grabbed the hand that was about to tilt the bucket once again into the fire and stopped him. "You can't defend your village from inside of a dragon's throat, Elidor!"

Elidor then whipped around with fury in his eyes. He pulled his hand from his brother's hold and threw the bucket behind him, emptying it of all the water into the fire which, of course, caused a small explosion behind his back. He was warned by his father about this but now he paid it no attention. "Yes, and you would know something about defending your village, now wouldn't you?"

"Excuse me?!" Briam yelled. "Why don't you try to explain to me what in the hell is going through that damned mind of yours, my dear brother?" He stared into his brother's angry eyes as he tried to figure out where this new hostility came from.

"Briam! Elidor!" Amelia chastised when she noticed the odd hostility occurring between the two brothers. She was not sure what was going on at all for usually, Briam was a quiet fellow while Elidor would just make jokes to dispel any tension that was encountered. She had never seen this side before from the two brothers. Throughout the day at the forge, she noticed how Elidor, a man she would usually admire, had suddenly grown cold towards her for some reason. His eyes would be narrowed as if he was remembering something that he would rather have forgotten. "I don't think now is the time for an argument, guys!"

The two boys ignored her as they continued to eye each other warily. One with a furious and unforgiving glance while the other's was a calculated gaze as he tried to figure out what exactly was going on. Suddenly, they heard a mighty roar bellow from the skies above them as a large shadow suddenly flew by the window. Amelia gasped when she glanced outside and saw a large white dragon flying circles around the village. The dragon roared a second time as if grabbing for the attention of the whole village. _Strange, _she thought. _Why hasn't he breathed fire yet?_ This was the second time that the village was visited by dragons that did not cause any damage whatsoever. The first was with a group of dragons that had stopped near her house while she was working. Strangely, her mother would not say a word about it when she returned home. This perturbed Amelia greatly.

Another thing that Amelia noticed that was odd about this dragon was the roar itself. It was a lot louder than the roars of previous dragon attacks. However, somehow, just by listening to it, it was as if she could discern the emotions of this dragon. The roar did not sound like the guttural ones from the other mindless and soul-less beasts that the village had previously encountered. Instead, it was more mournful, more angered, and_—_dare she say it?—more hopeful.

She was then brought back to the real world by the two bickering brothers who seemed to have completely ignored the dragon's roars in favor of having a shouting match instead.

"I heard what you and Mother were talking about last night, Briam!" Elidor argued while jabbing a finger in Briam's chest. "I know what you did. I know that you betrayed this entire village so don't you even _think_ for one second that you have the right to talk to me about defending _my_ village from these dragons. Do you hear me?"

Amelia gasped at those words and looked at Briam who had suddenly frozen in place. His eyes flew open wide and his mouth was hung open as if he wanted to defend himself but he just could not pull out the necessary words from his mind that was now a jumbled mess at the discovery that his brother now knew what he did and who he had been.

"Well? Say something!" Elidor spat out. His arms were shaking as if he was trying to use all he had to stop himself from punching his own brother in his face.

Amelia laid her hand on Elidor's shoulder to help him relax but he simply shoved it off uncaringly as he continued to glare at his brother, waiting for his response. "I said," he whispered through clenched teeth, "say something." He took a breath after each syllable while accentuating the "thing" in "something."

A tear then fell out of Briam's left eye. He turned around towards the window to hide it but Amelia caught sight of it. She frowned. She was about to call Briam's name to help console him despite the fact that Elidor thinks him to be a traitor, by the sound of things. However, right before she opened her mouth, something amazing happened.

It was as if her mind suddenly opened up to the entire village around her. All of a sudden, she could feel an immense sense of hope and courage that was not her own. She felt warm suddenly. Her racing heart had calmed down. She even felt a few tears leak out of her eyes for some reason even though she did not feel upset. She could tell that both Briam and Elidor felt it too for they frowned and looked around the forge as if looking for the answer. Amelia, however, felt that the answer would not be in here, but in the village square if the large tremor in the ground was anything to go by. Somehow, in her heart, she knew that these odd feelings and sensations came from that dragon that had just landed. When looking out of the forge's window, she could tell that she and her two companions were not the only ones who felt this odd…thing for lack of a better word. She saw the windows and doors of other houses that lined the dirt road were slowly opening so that the villagers can take a peek outside. Another thing she noticed was that their hands were on their hearts. Amelia then looked down and discovered that even her hand was held over her heart as well as if she just witnessed something to be cherished. Frightened, she quickly removed it and placed it at her side.

And then, something else happened. Within the minds of each and every villager, a lonely yet hopeful voice called out. This voice sounded old, perhaps even ancient. The wise and kind nature of the mighty dragon standing in the village square can be heard within the intonations of his inner voice. And another thing about the voice? It sounded strong despite the age. It somehow inspired hope.

_Villagers of Crystilla!_ it called out, inviting everyone to walk towards the dragon…towards hope. Amelia noticed that now, she was walking outside of the forge along with Briam and Elidor as well as with other villagers as they began to exit their homes and towards the mighty and proud creature. She was not being forced at all by magic, it just felt natural to walk towards the fascinating creature that was completely unlike the monsters that would come to terrorize her village.

_If you wish to defend your village, your lives, and, most importantly, those you all hold dear to your hearts, then come to me! If you wish to take back this kingdom from the horrors of Fraener, come to me! If you wish to once again feel what freedom feels like, come to me! And if you wish to step out of the darkness and the fear of the present and into the brilliant light of the future..._

_...come to me!_

Amelia then frowned. _Well that's unusual._

* * *

Again, thanks for waiting patiently, everybody! I shall make no promises as to when the next chapter will come out. We all know what happens when I do make a promise. lol!

See you all in the next chapter! ;-)

Sincerely,

_The Aviator_


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